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News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PUBLIC SAFETY ENHANCED WITH RELEASE OF DIRECTIVE 071

Calgary, Alberta (April 9, 2008) The Alberta Energy Resources Conservation Board (ERCB) has announced major changes to Directive 071 Emergency Preparedness and Response Requirements for the Petroleum Industry. These changes will further enhance Alberta’s stringent emergency preparedness requirements for upstream oil and gas facilities, and enhance the province’s already high standards to ensure the protection of public safety.

The revised directive is the result of more than two years of multi-stakeholder engagement, involving first responders, the public, Alberta Health and Wellness and Regional Health Authorities, Municipal Affairs, the Alberta Emergency Management Agency and the petroleum industry. Changes include:

• Replacing the current equations for calculating Emergency Planning Zones (EPZs) with a state-of-the-art scientific basis for atmospheric dispersion modeling called ERCBH2S.
• Clear identification of requirements that will result in enforcement for non-compliance in accordance with ERCB Directive 019: ERCB Compliance Assurance – Enforcement.
• Clarification of the jurisdiction of the ERCB and the jurisdiction of local governments and Regional Health Authorities with respect to Public and Local Authority Involvement.
• Replacing annual updates of Emergency Response Plans (ERPs) with assessments of ERP accuracy, and applying enforcement action to ERPs that are not current.
• Implementing a routine/non-routine ERP application review and approval process that is consistent with the way the ERCB handles energy applications such as wells, pipelines and facilities such as gas plants.

The ERCB’s regulatory system and the new Directive support three core principles:
1. Appropriate ERPs are in place to respond to incidents.
2. There is an adequate level of preparedness to implement the ERPs.
3. There is adequate capability in trained personnel and necessary equipment to carry out an effective emergency response to any incident.

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This news release is available on the ERCB Web site at http://www.ercb.ca.

For more information, please contact:

Bob Curran, ERCB Communications
Phone: 403-297-3392
Email: bob.curran@ercb.ca

NR 2008-05