FEATURE
The Alberta Energy and Utilities Board (EUB) is a recognized
leader among energy regulators both nationally and internationally, and it rests its reputation on a well-established
and proven regulatory process to deal with applications for energy projects. But just as there is no single type of energy development—oil versus gas, conventional versus unconventional—not
every application travels the exact same path.
This is most notable in the larger-than-life world of the oilsands,
where the regulatory process is often complex, involves more gov-
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and gas projects.
Where an application for a typical conventional gas well or a sin-
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binders. When a company decides it is ready to proceed with an
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to attempt to address any issues of concern. The company also has
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the life of any project. It is also in the pre-application phase that
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assessment (EIA).
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application. There is a joint EIA process that can involve several
Alberta and Canadian government departments that is coordinated by Alberta Environment (AENV).
The EUB has a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with
AENV that features a coordinated regulatory approval process
for major oilsands development applications that require approvals
under both the Oil Sands Conservation Act (OSCA) and the Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act. Although separate
approvals are issued by the EUB and AENV, application processing activities are integrated into a “one-window” approach to en-
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protection of the public interest.
As part of the EIA process, the terms of reference—essentially
what is to be included in the document—are set out and it is up
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Photo: Joey Podlubny
THE REGULATORY ROAD
