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Bulletin 2006-46

December 19, 2006

Draft Directive 071: Emergency Response Requirements for the Petroleum Industry for Stakeholder Review and Comment

Directive 071: Emergency Response Requirements for the Petroleum Industry (formerly Guide 71) was initially published in June 2003¹ to consolidate all of the EUB’s emergency response requirements into a single document. The next major revision to the directive is anticipated for publication in April 2007.

As part of the review process, the EUB has been engaged with the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers’ (CAPP’s) Emergency Response Committee. The revised EUB draft Directive 071 is now available for broader stakeholder comment on the EUB Web site at www.ercb.ca. A paper copy is also available on request from EUB Information Services by contacting (403) 297-8311 (select 2).

Changes since the last publication are summarized in Table 1 of the draft directive. Comments are requested and must be received by February 1, 2007 preferably via e-mail to EUB.Directive71@gov.ab.ca. Alternatively, comments may be sent to

Gary Neilson
Leader, Emergency Planning and Assessment
Alberta Energy and Utilities Board
640 – 5 Avenue SW
Calgary AB T2P 3G4

Revised Requirements for Calculating Emergency Planning Zones (EUBH2S)

A significant change incorporated into the draft directive is a new computer software program required for calculating emergency planning zones (EPZs) for sour wells, pipelines, and facilities. This change has been implemented to address recommendations of the Provincial Advisory Committee on Public Safety and Sour Gas.

A revised version of the EUBH2S computer software program, along with supporting documentation, is available on the EUB Web site². Changes made since the draft program (published for stakeholder comment in December 2003) are identified in the Technical Reference Document. Stakeholders are encouraged to read the section “Preface to EUBH2S Computer Software—Calculating Emergency Planning Zones for Sour Wells, Sour Pipelines and Sour Production Facilities.” It explains the concepts behind the new requirements and the benefits of the new calculation process. A comprehensive user guide that defines computer system requirements and gives instruction on installation and using the software is also available at the same location on the Web site. Comments on EUBH2S may also be submitted via email to EUB.Directive71@gov.ab.ca.

Many EPZs for existing sour wells, pipelines, and facilities will change as a result of the new calculation process. To ensure a smooth transition for applying the new tool, the EUB is developing an implementation plan that addresses existing EPZs and licence applications already involved in preapplication emergency response planning work. The implementation plan will be made available to stakeholders along with the revised directive in April 2007.

[Original signed by]

Dwayne Waisman
Executive Manager
Public Safety/Field Surveillance Branch

¹ Revised in July 2005 to include errata.
² /
publishedcontent/publish/ercb_home/news/current_projects/sgr.aspx.