Draft Australian Legislation on Carbon Capture and Storage: A Canadian Perspective

Abstract

The Australian government has continued its leadership role in the development of a legal and regulatory framework for carbon capture and storage (CCS) with the release of draft CCS legislation. This paper provides a description and analysis of the Australian proposals and also offers a critique of the legislation from a Canadian perspective. The paper examines the proposed disposition regime, regulatory issues including approval of site plans and site closure, and liability issues. The paper also considers the way in which the draft proposes to deal with possible conflicts between CCS interests and petroleum exploration and production interests.