Provincial governments have a significant effect on refineries since they manage the approvals and operating permits for industrial facilities.

In addition, two municipalities in Canada, Montréal and the Greater Vancouver Regional District, have authority to regulate air emissions from the petroleum refineries located within their jurisdictions.

The Canadian Council of Ministers of Environment (CCME), works to promote effective intergovernmental cooperation and coordinated approaches to inter-jurisdictional issues such as air pollution. Released on May 25, 2005, under the auspices of the CCME, Federal, Provincial and Municipal authorities worked together to develop the National Framework for Petroleum Refinery Emission Reductions (NFPRER) which provides a new approach to reduce emissions from the petroleum refining sector in Canada.