Joint Letter to NDP Leader and MLAs Re: Public inquiry into the Alberta Energy Regulator
February 25, 2025
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The attached letter (link below) was submitted on February 25, 2025, to the leader of the Alberta New Democratic Party (NDP) – Naheed Nenshi – and four NDP Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs), including Sarah Elmeligi, Jodi Calahoo Stonehouse, Nagwan Al-Guneid, and Brooks Arcand-Paul.
The letter was sent on behalf of Alberta Wilderness Association, Environmental Defence Canada, Keepers of the Water, Council of Canadians, Edmonton Chapter, Council of Canadians, Calgary Chapter, For Our Kids Alberta, Alberta Liabilities Disclosure Project, Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, Calgary Climate Hub, and The Gravity Well.
New research from Dr. Kevin Timoney, published on January 3, 2025, demonstrates that the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) is not fulfilling its mandate, and the public can no longer trust the regulator. The regulator has repeatedly failed to act in the public interest, ignoring tailings pond leaks, orphaned wells, and water security concerns. To add insult to injury, the AER’s board recently appointed Rob Morgan, former CEO of an oil company which had 500 inactive oil and gas wells, as the regulator’s CEO. Appointing an oil executive to hold the industry accountable to Alberta’s environmental standards shatters all hope of an effective and fair process. We call on you, as the official opposition in the Legislature, the Alberta New Democratic Party (NDP) to hold the government of Alberta accountable and demand a public inquiry into the regulator’s failures.
To read our letter in full, please click the link below: