Calgary: The Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) announced July 2 that, beginning in the fall, it will pilot a play-based regulatory framework for unconventional oil and gas development in the province.
The AER kicked off the Play-Based Regulation (PBR) pilot project with the release of an Application Guide for use in an area of the Duvernay shale play near Fox Creek, Alberta. The guide is available at www.aer.ca.
“The PBR project is designed to provide a more holistic regulatory approach to managing cumulative impacts of energy development. It will allow the energy industry, stakeholders, and the regulator to understand development in a more complete package,” said Cal Hill, Executive Vice President, strategy and regulatory division. “Stakeholders have told us they want to be involved in the early planning stages of proposed energy development. PBR provides them with that opportunity.”
Under the project, the AER will be accepting single applications for energy development, which may include many activities governed by different pieces of legislation.
The AER’s PBR pilot project is the first step in moving toward the implementation of a proposed new regulatory framework for regulating unconventional oil and gas development. This framework is described in the discussion paper Unconventional Regulatory Framework (available on the AER website). The feedback received on the paper is being used to guide the pilot project.