Reclamation and remediation work on any Alberta land that hosted oil and gas operations now needs approval from an agrologist or other recognized professional.
The province on Wednesday reminded landowners and oil and gas operators that starting Jan. 1, a member of one of six approved professional bodies must be involved in and sign off on such work before a company can get an oil and gas reclamation certificate for the land.
The province said it developed a joint practice standard for such work along with the six professional regulatory groups: the Alberta Institute of Agrologists, the Alberta Society of Professional Biologists, the Association of the Chemical Profession of Alberta, the Association of Professional Engineers, Geologists and Geophysicists of Alberta and the groups for foresters and forest technologists.
Read Also
U.S. livestock: Cattle prices down, hogs rise again
Live and cattle futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange retreated for a second session, while lean hogs extended their rally….
The provincial Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act requires site operators to conserve and reclaim specified land and get a reclamation certificate. To get that, the site will have to be assessed for contamination and cleaned up to provincial standards, with soil replaced and the site “revegetated.” Only when the site is deemed successfully reclaimed will an operator get the certificate, the province noted.
Environment Minister Rob Renner said in a release Wednesday that professional involvement throughout the process will ensure all such work is completed properly and all to the same high standard. He added that the new process will be “a model for other jurisdictions.”
