July 2, 2026 — The Nova Scotia Energy Board has issued an interim order under Section 24A of the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulations, changing the way it calculates the amount of the clean fuel adjustor, a regulated surcharge added to the price of gasoline and diesel at the pump.
This change in methodology will be incorporated into the Board’s weekly setting of gas and diesel prices as of 12:01 a.m. on July 3, 2026. It will remain in effect until the Board completes a full investigation into its process for calculating the clean fuel adjustor and issues a further order.
The clean fuel adjustor currently adds 9.04 cents per litre (cpl) to the price of gas and 10.07 cpl to the price of diesel. It allows gas and diesel suppliers to recover the costs they incur to comply with federal Clean Fuel Regulations, which aim to gradually reduce the amount of carbon in fuel.
For this week’s price setting, the interim change to the methodology for setting the clean fuel adjustor amount will add approximately 3.2 cpl more to the price of gas and 3.5 cpl to the price of diesel, plus HST. The amount may vary each week depending on the market for clean fuel compliance costs.
On June 22, 2026, the Canadian Fuels Association applied to the Board, asking it to investigate whether the current methodology for setting the clean fuel adjustor is just and reasonable, and requesting an interim change.
In its application, the association submitted that the current amount of the adjustor is no longer reflective of the costs gas and diesel suppliers face to comply with the Clean Fuel Regulations. The Board caps the amount of the adjustor based on a maximum credit price to protect consumers.
The Board last reviewed its process for setting the adjustor in 2025, and a new methodology came into effect on January 9, 2026. It is satisfied that a change to the methodology is needed to better reflect current costs while a full investigation is completed.
A prolonged disconnect between the amount of the adjustor and actual costs can lead to a shortage of gas or diesel in Nova Scotia if suppliers ultimately decide not to sell their product.
The Board’s investigation will be carried out under Section 17A and 24(2)(b) of the regulations.
As part of this process, Board Counsel will hire a consultant to prepare a preliminary report. After the report is filed, the Board will issue a Hearing Order outlining the timeline for a hearing to examine the methodology used to calculate the adjustor.
The timeline will include an opportunity for interested parties to request information from the consultant, and for intervenors to file evidence on the issues at hand.
Information related to this case will be publicly available by searching M12909 here: https://uarb.novascotia.ca/fmi/webd/UARB15
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Media inquiries may be directed to:
Dave MacNeil
Executive Director
Nova Scotia Energy Board
T: (902) 424-9303 TF: 1-833-809-0040 ext 9303