Professional Sign Off for Reclamation Certificates College of Alberta Professional Foresters Professional Workshops, February 15-17, 2011 Grande Prairie, Whitecourt, Edmonton Brian Lambert, M.Sc., P.Ag. Alberta Environment Air, Land, and Waste Policy Branch

Outline Current status Background on professional sign off Committee work Professional’s Joint Practice Standard Upstream reclamation program and professional sign off

Current Conditions Professional sign off mandatory –For remediation and reclamation work –For work completed after January 1, 2008 –For reclamation certificates at upstream oil and gas sites –Remediation certificates winter 2011 No changes in the way reclamation certificates are issued

Background Reclamation certificates issued on: –private land since June 1, 1963 –public land since August 15, 1978 EPEA 1993 – Sites to meet equivalent capability when reclaimed Required a consistent set of standards to assess sites How to determine if equivalent capability is achieved Specified land

Oil and Gas Development Wells (2005)

Changing Perspectives Workshop in December 2003 –2003 changes to upstream oil and gas program –No longer conduct on-site inquiries  Use of competent professionals Competencies for Remediation and Reclamation Advisory Committee – September 2005 to February 2006 –Joint Practice Standard Remediation and Reclamation Sign Off Advisory Committee – April 2006 to June 2006 Use of a Declaration form Routine vs. Non-routine applications

Advisory Committees Competencies for Remediation and Reclamation Advisory Committee and Remediation and Reclamation Sign Off Advisory Committee members: –Alberta Institute of Agrologists –APEGGA –Alberta Society of Professional Biologists –Association of the Chemical Profession of Alberta –College of Alberta Professional Foresters –College of Alberta Professional Forest Technologists –Association of Science and Engineering Technologists of Alberta (ASET) –Alberta Sustainable Resource Development –Alberta Employment, Immigration and Industry –Alberta Environment

Joint Practice Standard Professional regulatory organizations began working on a Joint Practice Standard in early 2005 They continued developing the standard while the Competencies and Sign Off committees met Released draft document for public consultation in October 2006 Joint Practice Standard released in December 2007 Professional sign off required (at upstream sites) starting January 1, 2008

Why Professional Sign Off? Shared governance approach Based on Competency Committee and Sign Off Committee ’ s work Increases confidence that work meets AENV and ASRD ’ s requirements for contamination assessment, remediation, and reclamation work Staff focus on high priority sites

Competencies for Remediation and Reclamation Advisory Committee Joint Practice Standard What skills and knowledge are needed to perform various types of work? Recommendations for competencies for all types of sites requiring remediation and/or reclamation Report submitted to AENV’s Executive February 2006 Document posted on AENV’s website

Remediation and Reclamation Sign Off Advisory Committee’s Recommendations Professional Requirements Professional practicing member in good standing With a PRO Relevant education Legislation in Alberta that explicitly allows them to do that work: Code of ethics Disciplinary process Professional development

Remediation and Reclamation Sign Off Advisory Committee’s Recommendations Recommendations Report submitted to AENV ’ s Executive in June 06 Professional liability insurance (errors & omissions) Minimum of 5 years of verifiable experience in reclamation and/or remediation work relevant to the Competencies Tables Member in good standing of one of 6 PRO ’ s Sign off must include: professional's signature, and either: registration/membership number, or stamp/seal. Qualifications = Experience + Education + Training

Sign Off Requirements All work completed after January 1, 2008 and submitted as part of a Reclamation Certificate application Professional Declaration form required for all work or reports –Phase 1 environmental site assessments, –Compliance Option Checklists for Drilling Waste Disposal, –Phase 2 environmental site assessments, –Remediation and confirmatory sampling, and –Reclamation detailed site assessments (post reclamation) Reclamation and remediation certificate applications reviewed to ensure Declaration forms are signed and unaltered. –Will result in refusal of reports or application

In early 2007, ASRD and AENV begin working together to revise the reclamation certificate application form A new way of processing applications was also required to address the growing backlog of reclamation certificate applications Consulted with CAPP and landowners on routine and non-routine application process Professional sign off key to providing confidence that routine applications meet AENV’s requirements Upstream Oil and Gas Reclamation Certificate Program

New Wellsite Reclamation Certificate Application Form and Fact Sheet released in August 2007 Fact Sheet describes professional sign off requirements and implementation On November 1, 2007 use of the new application form became mandatory –Administrative review of routine applications –Technical review of non-routine

Conclusions Professional sign off increases confidence that work was done to meet standards Professional sign off required on upstream oil and gas sites as part of the reclamation certificate application

References Professional Declaration Requirements, Fact Sheet - AENV 2010 Joint Practice Standard – hosted at AIA website, link on AENV site Competencies for Reclamation and Remediation Recommendations Report, 2006 Website - Professional Sign Off for Upstream Oil and Gas Reclamation Certificate Work

Questions Thank you to: College of Alberta Professional Foresters