VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Sept. 10, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On September 9, 2020, the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC) initiated its engagement with entities in the wholesale fuel industry who, in accordance with the Fuel Price Transparency (FPT) Regulations, are required to make regular reports to the BCUC starting in November 2020.
As Administrator of BC’s FPT Act, the BCUC is responsible for ensuring compliance to the regulations for wholesale fuel reporting in British Columbia as outlined by the BC government’s Order in Council (OIC) 474. Reporting entities and industry associations are invited to provide written comments on the BCUC’s Draft Reporting Guidelines (Guidelines) which provide instructions for submitting reportable fuel data in alignment with OIC regulations. The Guidelines will be available on GasPricesBC.ca on September 11, 2020.
The BCUC is also hosting the following online Information Sessions for reporting entities and industry associations, to provide a brief overview of the Guidelines and an opportunity to ask questions. To register, please contact Commission.Secretary@bcuc.com.
| Online Information Sessions | Date (2020) |
| BCUC Information Session #1 | Wednesday, September 16 12 pm – 1:30 pm Pacific Time |
| BCUC Information Session #2 | Friday, September 18 10 am – 11:30 am Pacific Time |
| BCUC Information Session #3 | Tuesday, September 22 10 am – 11:30 am Pacific Time |
Written comments on the Guidelines are due to the BCUC by Friday, September 25, 2020. Comments will be part of the public record and be used to inform the BCUC’s design of a reporting platform, as well as the Final Reporting Guidelines.
More information about the BCUC’s planned engagement activities, including a letter sent to the fuel industry to advise of BCUC’s consultation process, is available here.
Background
On November 18, 2019, Bill 42 – The Fuel Price Transparency Act was introduced in the BC Legislature by Minister Bruce Ralston. The FPT Act requires companies to report information and data on their activities in the gasoline and diesel fuel market in BC. Bill 42 received Royal Assent and became law on November 27, 2019. On March 9, 2020, the BC government announced the BCUC as the Administrator of the FPT Act. As the Administrator, the BCUC is responsible for collecting and publishing information about gasoline and diesel fuel activities in BC in an effort to promote competitiveness and public confidence in the competitiveness of the fuel market.
As a first step in providing the public with more information about how gasoline and diesel prices are set in BC, the BCUC launched GasPricesBC.ca on April 7, 2020. Through a series of dashboards, GasPricesBC.ca displays publicly available data, which visitors can customize to view information based on geography or price components.
On August 14, 2020, the BC government announced regulations for fuel wholesalers in accordance with BC’s FPT Act. Order in Council (OIC) No. 474 outlines the regulations for wholesale fuel reporting in BC, including the type of data that will be collected by the BCUC, the organizations who will be required to submit data, and the frequency of reporting. The regulations require fuel importers, wholesalers, terminal owners/operators, and those who supply fuel to retail dealers to submit regular reports to the BCUC starting in November 2020.
About the BCUC
The BCUC is a regulatory agency responsible for oversight of energy utilities and compulsory auto insurance in British Columbia. It is the BCUC’s role to balance the interests of customers with the interests of the businesses it regulates. The BCUC carries out fair and transparent reviews of matters within its jurisdiction and considers public input where public interest is impacted.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Krissy Van Loon
Manager, Communications
Phone: 604.660.4727
Email: Krissy.VanLoon@bcuc.com