Calgary, Alberta (July 27, 2005) The Alberta Energy and Utilities Board (EUB) has issued Directive 019, which includes new processes designed to protect public safety, minimize environmental impacts, preserve equity, and ensure conservation of resources.
Directive 019 updates a series of EUB Enforcement Ladders, which were unveiled in 1999 and set out the rules for enforcement when a licensee was not complying with EUB requirements. In March, the EUB released a draft directive for input from stakeholders within the public, industry and government, and the updates to the new Directive 019 are based on the feedback received.
One of the most important changes from the draft directive is to clarify that EUB staff will impose enforcement actions in the event of noncompliance. These actions could include one or more of the following: noncompliance fees, self-audits or inspections, increased audits or inspections, third party audits or inspections, partial or full suspensions, or suspension and/or cancellation of permits, licenses or approvals. The change from the draft directive clarifies the EUB's enforcement policy to the industry and the public.
Other changes include:
- manual escalation of enforcement actions for persistent noncompliance,
- the basing of enforcement actions on a predetermined risk assessment, and
- improved access to compliance information.
The updated compliance process should lead to even higher rates of compliance with EUB requirements. Industry's compliance rate with major EUB regulations was a record 98% in 2004, up from 97% in 2003 and 96.5% in 2000. This improvement happened during record activity in the oil and gas industry, with the number of producing oil and gas wells increasing 54 per cent over the last five years.
The EUB ensures that the discovery, development, and delivery of Alberta's energy resources and utilities services take place in a manner that is fair, responsible, and in the public interest.
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This news release and Directive 019 are available at
