Good morning! This is Queen Street Analytics' weekly roundup of regulatory developments, legislative discussions, political announcements, and other government-related news concerning power generation and transmission, wind and solar, utilities, midstream companies, batteries and energy storage, LNG, biofuels and nuclear. Every Monday, we break down the most important updates in this space in under five minutes.

Want to track other GR news in adjacent industries? Don’t miss this week’s updates in Oil & Gas and Construction.

Dates: 2025-07-20 to 2025-07-26

📋 In This Week's Newsletter

• 🇨🇦 Canadian Federal GR News
• 🇺🇸 US Federal GR News
• 🗺️ Canadian Provincial GR News
• 💬 Government Consultations
• 📚 What We're Reading This Week

Canadian Federal GR News

Government of Canada Releases Implementation Framework for the Right to a Healthy Environment Under CEPA

On July 23, Environment and Climate Change Canada published the Implementation Framework for the Right to a Healthy Environment under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA), fulfilling a requirement established by recent CEPA amendments. The Framework outlines how federal decision-makers should consider substantive and procedural elements—such as protections from harmful substances and guarantees of access to information and participation—in the administration of CEPA. The document introduces three principles guiding administration: environmental justice, intergenerational equity, and non-regression, and commits to integrating Indigenous rights and knowledge into environmental decision-making. Alongside the Framework, the department released a Plan of Priorities for chemicals management, listing over 30 priority substances and groups for assessment, and setting out activities for assessing, controlling, and managing risks posed by these chemicals. The Plan incorporates feedback from fall 2024 public consultation and will be reviewed every eight years, with amendments communicated publicly. The government also issued a Strategy to Replace, Reduce or Refine Vertebrate Animal Testing under CEPA, developed by Health Canada and Environment and Climate Change Canada, with input from recent stakeholder engagement. Implementation of the framework and plans will include further engagement with Indigenous partners, industry, and the public via a new web portal.

Sources: Announcements: www.canada.ca, Announcements: www.canada.ca

Minister Sidhu Discusses Energy Trade Priorities During BC Visit

Minister of International Trade Maninder Sidhu met with British Columbia officials and industry leaders from July 17 to 21, addressing collaboration opportunities under Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy, including the export of energy solutions. Visits included the Port of Vancouver, Vancouver International Airport, and LNG Canada's facility in Kitimat, where the export of liquefied natural gas to Asian markets was discussed. Minister Sidhu’s remarks—delivered at the Surrey Board of Trade—outlined federal economic priorities and Canada’s ambition to serve as a supplier of clean energy. Discussions with provincial counterpart Ravi Kahlon and local business groups focused on connecting Canadian industry with international markets and supply chain links.

Sources: Announcements: www.canada.ca

StatCan Publishes May 2025 Data on Natural Gas Transmission, Storage, and Distribution

Statistics Canada released updated data for May 2025 covering the transmission, storage, and distribution of natural gas. The information provides industry stakeholders with details on transmission flows, storage levels, and distribution patterns relevant to operational planning and forecasting.

Sources: Open Government Data Set: www.statcan.gc.ca

Monthly Energy Transportation and Storage Survey: May 2025 Data Now Available

Statistics Canada published survey results for May on the transportation and storage of crude oil and other liquid petroleum products. The dataset supports market participants by providing updated figures on volumes moved and held in Canadian energy infrastructure.

Sources: Open Government Data Set: www.statcan.gc.ca

US Federal GR News

White House Issues Executive Order to Expedite Permitting for Data Center Infrastructure

On July 23, President Donald Trump signed an executive order focused on accelerating federal permitting for data center infrastructure, with an emphasis on supporting AI-related facilities and semiconductor supply chains. The order introduces prioritization for facilities requiring over 100 MW, called Data Center Projects, and includes coverage for critical components like energy infrastructure and transmission. The Secretaries of Commerce, Energy, and other agencies are directed to provide financial incentives and to identify suitable federal lands for project siting, including brownfield and Superfund locations. Environmental reviews are set to be expedited under NEPA and through the FAST-41 process. The order revokes a previous administration's requirements regarding diversity, equity, and climate on federal land-based AI data centers, instead authorizing broad construction and development supports. New projects meeting defined criteria may seek streamlined permitting and special consideration for national security or economic importance.

Sources: White House Announcements: www.whitehouse.gov, White House Announcements: www.whitehouse.gov

FERC Proposes New Reliability Standards for Inverter-Based Resources and Bulk-Power System Operations

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a request for public comment on July 24 regarding proposed revisions to Mandatory Reliability Standards—specifically PRC-028-1 (Disturbance Monitoring and Reporting for Inverter-Based Resources), PRC-002-5 (Disturbance Monitoring and Reporting), and the new PRC-030-1 (Unexpected IBR Event Mitigation). The proposed standards would increase reporting, record-keeping, and event monitoring requirements for generator owners, transmission entities, and reliability coordinators, with estimated annual compliance burdens calculated for over 2,000 facilities, especially those operating solar and wind assets. The standards are intended to support compliance through documented processes for event identification and data collection. Comments are due by August 25, 2025.

Sources: U.S. Federal Announcements: www.federalregister.gov

FERC Requests Comments on Revised Bulk-Power System Reliability Information Collections

FERC is seeking feedback, due by August 22, 2025, on proposed updates to FERC-725R and FERC-725A, addressing the implementation of Reliability Standard BAL-007-1 for Near-term Energy Reliability Assessments and TOP-003-7 regarding operator data collections. The intent is to require balancing authorities to assess near-term energy reliability and give them authority to obtain required operational data. The estimated cost of compliance for affected parties is provided in the notice. Industry participants may submit comments electronically or by mail.

Sources: U.S. Federal Announcements: www.federalregister.gov

EPA Proposes Extension of Compliance Deadlines for Coal Combustion Residuals Management

On July 22, the Environmental Protection Agency issued a proposed rule to extend certain compliance deadlines for coal combustion residuals (CCR) management units at electric utilities. The proposal would grant additional options for owners and operators of active or legacy CCR surface impoundments, including a 12-month extension to prepare required Facility Evaluation Reports (FER) Part 1 and 2. Stakeholders are invited to comment on both the proposed schedule extensions and the substance of compliance options. Comments must be received by August 21, 2025.

Sources: U.S. Federal Announcements: www.federalregister.gov

FERC Requests Comments on Hydropower Project Licensing Information Burdens

FERC requested public comment by September 22, 2025, on the burdens associated with existing information collections: FERC-500 (Licensing for Water Projects >10 MW) and FERC-505 (Small Hydropower and Conduit Facilities). No program changes are proposed, but FERC seeks stakeholder input on necessity, accuracy, and possible improvements. Annual reporting burdens are detailed as approximately 427,610 hours for FERC-500 and 23,638 hours for FERC-505.

Sources: U.S. Federal Announcements: www.federalregister.gov

Canadian Provincial GR News

Ontario Launches New Intake for Critical Minerals Innovation Fund

On July 23, Ontario announced over $7 million in new funding for the Critical Minerals Innovation Fund to stimulate research, development, and commercialization in mining, exploration, battery supply chains, and recovery technologies.

Sources: Provincial Announcement: news.ontario.ca

Manitoba Opens Public Consultation on Net-Zero Roadmap to 2050

Manitoba's government is seeking public and stakeholder input on its draft roadmap to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, including initiatives in renewable energy generation and electrification.

Sources: Provincial Announcement: news.gov.mb.ca

Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Ontario Sign Pipeline and Trade Infrastructure MOU

Alberta and Ontario welcomed Saskatchewan as a signatory to a memorandum of understanding intended to facilitate construction of pipelines and associated energy and critical minerals infrastructure linking western Canada to Ontario and export markets.

Sources: Provincial Announcement: www.alberta.ca

Ontario Invests in Northwest Forest Biomass Innovation

Ontario announced more than $6.2 million in funding through its Forest Biomass Program for eight projects in Northwestern Ontario to develop new uses of underused wood byproducts and boost regional bioeconomy growth.

Sources: Provincial Announcement: news.ontario.ca

Alberta Directs $49 Million to Advanced Materials and Circular Economy Projects

The province allocated up to $49 million from the Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction program to support 18 projects related to waste reduction, critical minerals, energy storage, and manufacturing using recycled or recovered materials.

Sources: Provincial Announcement: www.alberta.ca

Government Consultations

Consultation: Chemistry Control for Reactor Facilities (CNSC REGDOC-2.6.4)

The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission invites comment through July 28 on REGDOC-2.6.4, addressing chemistry control requirements for reactor facilities including NPPs, SMRs, and research reactors.

Sources: Canadian Government Consultations: www.cnsc-ccsn.gc.ca

What We're Reading This Week

• Can PPL's Clean Energy Strategy Drive Growth & Grid Resilience?: Examination of PPL's approach to clean energy and grid resilience.
• GridBeyond Leads Optimization of 200MW Energy Storage Site in California: GridBeyond announced as optimization lead for a large California energy storage project.
• Switch to renewable energy hits global tipping point for even lower costs, UN says: The United Nations reports falling costs and widespread adoption of renewables.
• CIBC analyst’s top picks in the dividend-rich energy infrastructure sector: CIBC analysts highlight income opportunities in energy infrastructure.
• UN says booming solar, wind and other green energy hits global tipping point for even lower costs: Global deployment of green energy signals structural cost changes.
• TotalEnergies and CMA CGM to Launch LNG Bunkering Logistics Joint Venture to Accelerate Maritime Decarbonization: New LNG logistics joint venture targets decarbonization of maritime transport.
• Former Biden energy official Jigar Shah urges Canada to fearlessly seek out U.S. cleantech capital: Insights on cross-border finance for clean technology.
• Desay Battery Unveils Proactive-Safety-Focused Energy Storage Technologies: Desay Battery launches new safety-focused storage technology.
• GridBeyond Leads Optimization of 200MW Energy Storage Site in California: Further reporting on the California grid-scale storage project.
• Green energy has passed 'positive tipping point,' and cost will come down, UN says: UN concludes that market forces are driving down green energy costs world-wide.

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