The ERCB, Alberta Environment (www.gov.ab.ca/env), and Alberta Sustainable Resource Development (www.gov.ab.ca/srd) work to ensure that air, soil, and water quality are protected in the oil sands regions.
Each organization has enforcement activities to protect the integrity of the environment. The ERCB ensures that companies comply with Alberta Environment regulations at their oil sands operations.
Environmental Impact Assessment
Under the Alberta Environment department’s Environmental Assessment Process-a legislated process designed to assess potential effects of proposed projects on the environment in a clear and consistent manner–an environmental impact assessment (EIA) report gives legislators the tools they need to weigh the potential affect of a proposed development on the environment.
Four steps are used to determine if a development requires an EIA:
- Initial review
- Screening process
- Preparation of an environmental assessment report
- Final review
The initial review often flags developments that automatically trigger an EIA and helps outline important information needed for the EIA process.
Alberta Environment decides if an EIA is required based on information gathered in the screening and initial review. Regulations spell out what must be in the report, including where the proposed development will be located, its purpose, and any potential impact on the environment. These same regulations state that the EIA must be made available to the public.
If Alberta Environment believes an EIA is required, it will advise project applicants to notify the public, at which time anyone directly affected by the proposed development has 30 days to submit a written statement of concern.
The third step requires that the company proposing a project outline potential environmental, social, economic, and cultural impacts in an environmental assessment report. The report may also contain plans to deal with any potential effects and respond to possible emergency situations. The report usually outlines the public consultation process and recognition of any health issues.
At the final stage, Alberta Environment and other reviewers, including the ERCB and the general public, may require additional information about the proposal to complete the review. Once the report is complete, Alberta Environment asks that project applicants make the EIA accessible to the public.
For more information about EIAs and the Environmental Assessment Process, please contact Alberta Environment.
Tailings Management
Water left over from the extraction process is known as tailings. Tailings, which contain a mixture of sands, clays, and fine silts, are discharged into large tailings ponds, or settling basins. The larger sand particles in the tailings settle to form a stable deposit very quickly, while the finer clay particles take years to settle and are known as fluid fine tailings. Research on ways to treat fluid fine tailings continues, with the goal of developing technology that will help the fine clays settle quicker or eliminate the need for storage ponds altogether.
One emerging technology is known as “consolidated tailings”: gypsum is mixed with the tailings to produce a material that can then be covered with topsoil and vegetation.
Multistakeholder groups
ERCB staff participate in many local multistakeholder groups in the Athabasca Oil Sands region. These groups review such issues as cumulative impacts of oil sands development, air and water quality, and tailings management.
CEMA
The Cumulative Environmental Management Association (CEMA), made up of regional stakeholders, works to investigate and make recommendations on the cumulative environmental impacts of oil sands growth on ecosystems, land, water, and air in the region.
CEMA operates five working groups: Sustainable Ecosystems, Reclamation, NOx/SO2 Management, Surface Water, and Trace Metal and Air Contaminants.
www.cemaonline.ca
WBEA
The Wood Buffalo Environmental Association (WBEA) is a multistakeholder group that conducts air quality, ecosystem, and human health effects monitoring in the Athabasca region. Its members include environmental and aboriginal groups, government, industry, and the ERCB.
WBEA operates one of the most comprehensive air monitoring networks in North America and is active in the community to help residents understand the importance of air quality.
Air emission readings from the Athabasca region are taken by WBEA from 13 air monitoring stations and can be found on its Web site www.wbea.org.
RAMP
The Regional Aquatics Monitoring Program (RAMP) is a joint environmental monitoring program formed to assess the health of rivers and lakes in the oil sands region of northeastern Alberta. The program aims to identify and address potential impacts of oil sands development and is frequently adjusted to reflect monitoring results, technological advances, and community concerns.
www.ramp-alberta.org
CASA
Some environmental research in the Athabasca oil sands region is undertaken by the Clean Air Strategic Alliance (CASA), a multistakeholder organization established in 1994 to work on air quality issues in Alberta.
As a member of CASA, the ERCB has worked diligently with other members to continually monitor and study the cumulative effects of acidic emissions in Alberta.
www.casahome.org
LICA
The Lakeland Industry and Community Association (LICA) was formed in 2000 as a not-for-profit organization tasked to help residents of the Cold Lake area better understand and voice concerns about oil and gas development in their region.
LICA’s board of directors is made up of five elected representatives from the Lakeland community, two representatives appointed by the aboriginal and Métis communities, and three appointed representatives from area oil and gas operators in the area.
www.lica.ca
