Our goals are threefold:   

1. Make Polluters Pay 

1. 1. Revise Alberta’s Mine Financial Security Program (MFSP) and the Liability Management Framework (LMF) to Uphold the Polluter Pays Principle. 
   2. Increased Royalty Rates on the Revenues of Fossil Energy Projects.

2. Cleanup Now 

1. 1. Establish and Enforce Strict Timelines for the Reclamation of Waste Products, Mine Sites and Other Infrastructure (e.g., wells, pipelines, tailings ponds etc.) 

3. Democratic Decision Making 

1. 1. Independence from the fossil fuel industry on the AER board of directors. 
   2. Decision making power for Indigenous communities over energy industry activities. 
   3. Replace the directly and adversely affected test in the hearing and appeal process with a genuine interest test. 

Both the Alberta government and the Alberta Energy Regulator are captured by the fossil fuel industry. By this, we mean that industry interests have become a priority in the government and regulators decision making, rather than the interests of Albertans and the environment.

Below are real life examples in the news this past year that demonstrate how the Alberta government and the AER are captured.

February 2023

An Imperial Oil tailings pond has been leaking for nine months – https://thenarwhal.ca/imperial-oil-kearl-aer/

September 2023

‘They’re ramming it down our throats,’ Cold Lake First Nation Chief says of Pathways carbon capture project – https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/they-re-ramming-it-down-our-throats-cold-lake-first-nation-chief-says-of-pathways-carbon-capture-project-1.6964936

October 2023

Alberta’s continued reluctance to collect adequate funds for the cleanup of both conventional oil and gas, and oilsands liabilities—estimated to be as high as $260 billion—leaving taxpayers at risk for the cleanup tab – https://www.policyschool.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/EFL-49A-AB-ConvenOGLiabilityRegime.YewchukFluker.pdf

October 2023

The AER wrongly accepting Northback’s applications for coal-related work at Grassy Mountain – including an exploration program, water diversion licenses, and a deep drilling permit – despite the previous joint review panel decision. – https://ablawg.ca/2023/10/13/the-aer-does-not-have-the-jurisdiction-to-consider-new-coal-applications-for-the-grassy-mountain-coal-deposit/

October 2023

When Is a Killed Alberta Coal Mine Really Dead? Never, according to the regulator’s stance on Grassy Mountain. That’s ‘preposterous and illegal,’ states a legal expert. – https://www.thetyee.ca/Analysis/2023/10/10/Killed-Alberta-Coal-Mine/

December 2023

Not Fit for Purpose: Oil Sands Mines and Alberta’s Mine Financial Security Program — https://www.policyschool.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/EFL-49B-NotFitforPurpose.Olszynski-et-al.pdf

November 2023

The AER’s decision not to reconsider its approval of Suncor’s operational plan for the McClelland Lake Wetland Complex despite evidence of its flaws. – https://calgaryherald.com/business/energy/aer-wont-reconsider-approval-suncor-expansion-wetland

Alberta NDP decries contract for government supporter to review energy regulator, It’s the second recent sole-source for David Yager (a longtime oilpatch executive), who also worked on a report on Alberta’s energy future — a report that has never been released – https://calgaryherald.com/news/politics/ndp-decries-contract-ucp-supporter-energy-regulator

December 2023

Mounting evidence seems to show the AER operates without sufficient public transparency and has vast discretionary powers. Rather than serving the best interests of Indigenous communities, the environment, and the public at large, the agency seems to be held captive by industry interests. – https://albertawilderness.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Advocate-Winter-2023-AER-reform.pdf

January 2024

New research showing that the oil sands industry is under-reporting harmful emissions by up to 6300 percent. – https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/jan/25/canadian-tar-sands-pollution-is-up-to-6300-higher-than-reported-study-finds

February 2024

The $250 million in unpaid property taxes owed to rural municipalities from oil and gas companies. – https://calgaryherald.com/business/energy/alberta-energy-companies-owe-municipalities-taxes

March 2024

The AER’s abysmal response to the leak and spill of tailings at Imperial’s Kearl Mine by withholding information from impacted Indigenous communities for nine months. – https://www.aptnnews.ca/featured/everything-is-going-downhill-athabasca-fort-chipewyan-files-lawsuit-against-alberta-regulator-over-kearl-spill/

According to information obtained from the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER), from 2010 to 2023, Alberta collected just 71 cents from oilsands operators to put toward cleaning up the vast toxic tailings spread across the landscape and to remediate mine sites. – https://edmontonjournal.com/opinion/columnists/opinion-if-alberta-is-serious-about-energy-project-cleanup-lets-start-with-the-oilsands

April 2024

The AER adding four new members to its Board of Directors all from the oil and gas industry – alongside the Premier’s Special Adviser, David Yager – https://calgaryherald.com/opinion/columnists/varcoe-aer-appoint-new-chair-stormy-times-regulator

May 2024

No guarantee from the AER that the $16.5-billion Pathways Alliance carbon capture and storage (CCUS) project will undergo an environmental impact assessment – despite including over 600 km of pipelines & carbon storage area of 18,000 km2. – https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/pathways-alliance-environmental-impact-assessment-1.7205052

June 2024

Alberta government reducing independence of province’s energy regulator: Opposition – https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-alberta-government-reducing-independence-of-provinces-energy-regulator/

Inside Danielle Smith’s Plan to ‘De-Risk’ Fossil Fuel Investments Curiously, it involves skimming from the Alberta Heritage Fund. – https://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2024/06/20/Danielle-Smith-UCP-De-Risk-Fossil-Fuel-Investment-Heritage-Fund/

July 2024

The AER offloading its responsibility for insolvency applications to the industry-controlled Orphan Well Association (OWA) – minimizing costs to industry while increasing the risk to Albertans. – https://calgaryherald.com/opinion/columnists/opinion-albertas-energy-regulator-prioritizes-industry-profits-over-taxpayers

The Government of Alberta’s plan to allow companies to buy abandoned oil and gas assets without paying off the unpaid municipal tax debt owed by the previous owner. – https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/oilpatch-unpaid-taxes-1.7263639

August 2024

Alberta’s Court of Appeal ruled this week that the Alberta Energy Regulator’s decision… is highly questionable and possibly an error in law – https://thetyee.ca/Analysis/2024/08/29/Alberta-Highest-Court-Jams-Smith-Coal-Plans/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=weekend_read

The AER only charging Imperial $50K for violating approval conditions related to the leak/spill of tailings at its Kearl mine. Despite Imperial earning $1.13 Billion in Q2 of 2024 alone. – https://www.aptnnews.ca/national-news/regulator-issues-penalty-conditions-on-imperial-oil-amid-ongoing-kearl-investigation/

The AER’s irrational plan for inactive, decommissioned, and orphan wells is based on flawed predictions that expect the conventional O&G industry to be flush with cash in the late 2030s & will end with the AER enforcing regulatory obligations after industry is no longer able to pay – violating the polluter pays principle. – https://ablawg.ca/2024/08/16/the-alberta-energy-regulators-planned-timelines-for-orphan-inactive-and-decommissioned-oil-and-gas-infrastructure/

September 2024

The AER’s $50K fine for imperial was 96% lower than it could/should have been – “the legislation and regulations involved allow for an administrative penalty that could have exceeded $1,315,000.” – https://ablawg.ca/2024/09/04/administrative-penalties-at-the-alberta-energy-regulator-regulatory-penalties-for-the-kearl-oilsands-leak/

Energy minister says public money could help finance Alberta energy cleanup https://calgaryherald.com/business/energy/energy-minister-says-public-money-could-help-finance-alberta-energy-cleanup

The Alberta government has officially handed back more than $137 million to the federal government after running out of time to spend the cash to clean up old oil and natural gas wells. – https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/alberta-orphan-wells-inactive-decommision-1.7324701#:~:text=The%20Alberta%20government%20has%20officially,oil%20and%20natural%20gas%20wells.

Will Danielle Smith Use Albertans’ Pensions to Bail Out Big Oil? The UCP government appears to be ready to let energy companies avoid cleanup costs. – https://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2024/09/18/Will-Danielle-Smith-Albertans-Pensions-Big-Oil/