Hello:
I hope you are looking forward to celebrating with loved ones over the Thanksgiving weekend.
As the economic recovery continues in Alberta, our government continues to work with industry for a recovery built to last.
To that end, our government announced a more efficient regulatory process for the energy industry, meaning new oil and gas projects can begin operating faster, creating jobs and maintaining competitiveness, while making the process more transparent and accessible for Albertans.
To date, this approach has saved industry more than $140 million, with an expected $600 million in direct savings by 2021.
We’re fighting for jobs and making our oil and gas sector more competitive by modernizing the application process. This saves industry time and money, while making it easier for everyday folks to make their voices heard, as noted by Energy Minister Margaret McCuaig-Boyd.
The modernized process is part of a review of industry competitiveness conducted by government and the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) and upholds Alberta’s world-leading environmental protection and strong public safety record.
The modern, streamlined regulatory system will process applications quicker, prevent companies from having to repeatedly submit the same information and be more transparent by ensuring one application means one review and one decision.
Alberta families and municipalities will benefit from the simpler, fairer process by being provided information upfront about the potential impact of a project on their community and the process for having their concerns addressed.
Many changes were based on adapting to modern industry practices such as longer horizontal drilling and drilling multiple wells from one location. In all cases, government retains strong environmental regulatory oversight.
If you would like more information about this or any government programs or services, please contact my office at 403-640-1363 or [email protected]. To subscribe to our monthly email newsletter, email [email protected].
