Joint Letter to Government of Alberta MLAs re: Urgency to Reform Alberta Energy Regulation
May 3, 2024
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On Friday, May 3, 2024, Alberta Wilderness Association (AWA) sent a letter to Government of Alberta MLAs on behalf of Alberta Beyond Fossil Fuels, Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society – Northern Alberta, Council of Canadians, Environmental Defence Canada, Keepers of the Water, Stand.earth, and Treeline Ecological Research.
The letter asks for their support in addressing the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER)’s irresponsible management of energy development and its impact on climate change mitigation in Alberta.
For decades the regulator has acted like a facilitator for the energy industry, which has resulted in environmental devastation, risks to public health and safety, as well as the erosion of public trust.
The letter asks Alberta MLAs to stand in solidarity with impacted communities and commit to reforming the Alberta Energy Regulator to protect the public’s best interest, Indigenous rights, and Alberta’s world-class ecosystems.
An effective and fair energy regulator would differ from the current one as follows:
- Independence from the fossil fuel industry on the AER board of directors,
- Decision-making power shared with Indigenous rights-holders over energy industry activities,
- Replacement of the “directly and adversely affected” test in the hearing and appeal process with a “genuine interest” test,
- Revisions to Alberta’s Mine Financial Security Program (MFSP) and the Liability Management Framework (LMF) that uphold the polluter pays principle,
- Increased royalty rates on the revenues of fossil energy projects,
- Establish and enforce strict timelines for the reclamation of mine sites and other infrastructure.
To view the letter in full, please click the following link:
