Professional Sign Off for
Reclamation Certificates
College of Alberta Professional Foresters
Professional Workshops, February 15-17, 2011
Grande Prairie, Whitecourt, Edmonton
Brian Lambert, M.Sc., P.Ag.
Alberta Environment
Air, Land, and Waste Policy Branch
Outline
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Current status
Background on professional sign off
Committee work
Professional’s Joint Practice Standard
Upstream reclamation program and professional sign off
Current Conditions
• Professional sign off mandatory
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For remediation and reclamation work
For work completed after January 1, 2008
For reclamation certificates at upstream oil and gas sites
Remediation certificates winter 2011
• No changes in the way reclamation certificates are issued
Background
• Reclamation certificates issued on:
– private land since June 1, 1963
– public land since August 15, 1978
• EPEA 1993 – Sites to meet equivalent capability when
reclaimed
• Required a consistent set of standards to assess sites
• How to determine if equivalent capability is achieved
• Specified land
Oil and Gas
Development
Wells (2005)
Changing Perspectives
• Workshop in December 2003
– 2003 changes to upstream oil and gas program
– No longer conduct on-site inquiries
 Use of competent professionals
• Competencies for Remediation and Reclamation
Advisory Committee – September 2005 to February 2006
– Joint Practice Standard
• Remediation and Reclamation Sign Off Advisory
Committee – April 2006 to June 2006
• Use of a Declaration form
• Routine vs. Non-routine applications
Advisory Committees
• Competencies for Remediation and Reclamation
Advisory Committee and Remediation and Reclamation
Sign Off Advisory Committee members:
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Alberta Institute of Agrologists
APEGGA
Alberta Society of Professional Biologists
Association of the Chemical Profession of Alberta
College of Alberta Professional Foresters
College of Alberta Professional Forest Technologists
Association of Science and Engineering Technologists of Alberta (ASET)
– Alberta Sustainable Resource Development
– Alberta Employment, Immigration and Industry
– Alberta Environment
Joint Practice Standard
• Professional regulatory organizations began working on a
Joint Practice Standard in early 2005
• They continued developing the standard while the
Competencies and Sign Off committees met
• Released draft document for public consultation in
October 2006
• Joint Practice Standard released in December 2007
• Professional sign off required (at upstream sites) starting
January 1, 2008
Why Professional Sign Off?
• Shared governance approach
• Based on Competency Committee and Sign Off
Committee’s work
• Increases confidence that work meets AENV and ASRD’s
requirements for contamination assessment, remediation,
and reclamation work
• Staff focus on high priority sites
Competencies for Remediation and
Reclamation Advisory Committee
• Joint Practice Standard
• What skills and knowledge are needed to perform various
types of work?
• Recommendations for competencies for all types of sites
requiring remediation and/or reclamation
• Report submitted to AENV’s Executive February 2006
• Document posted on AENV’s website
Remediation and Reclamation Sign Off
Advisory Committee’s Recommendations
• Professional Requirements
• Professional practicing member in good standing
• With a PRO
• Relevant education
• Legislation in Alberta that explicitly allows them to do
that work:
• Code of ethics
• Disciplinary process
• Professional development
Remediation and Reclamation Sign Off
Advisory Committee’s Recommendations
• Recommendations Report submitted to AENV’s Executive in June 06
• Professional liability insurance (errors & omissions)
• Minimum of 5 years of verifiable experience in reclamation and/or
remediation work relevant to the Competencies Tables
• Member in good standing of one of 6 PRO’s
• Sign off must include:
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professional's signature, and either:
• registration/membership number, or
• stamp/seal.
• Qualifications = Experience + Education + Training
Sign Off Requirements
• All work completed after January 1, 2008 and submitted as part of a
Reclamation Certificate application
• Professional Declaration form required for all work or reports
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Phase 1 environmental site assessments,
Compliance Option Checklists for Drilling Waste Disposal,
Phase 2 environmental site assessments,
Remediation and confirmatory sampling, and
Reclamation detailed site assessments (post reclamation)
• Reclamation and remediation certificate applications reviewed to
ensure Declaration forms are signed and unaltered.
– Will result in refusal of reports or application
Upstream Oil and Gas Reclamation
Certificate Program
• In early 2007, ASRD and AENV begin working together to revise the
reclamation certificate application form
• A new way of processing applications was also required to address
the growing backlog of reclamation certificate applications
• Consulted with CAPP and landowners on routine and non-routine
application process
• Professional sign off key to providing confidence that routine
applications meet AENV’s requirements
Upstream Oil and Gas Reclamation
Certificate Program
• New Wellsite Reclamation Certificate Application Form
and Fact Sheet released in August 2007
• Fact Sheet describes professional sign off requirements
and implementation
• On November 1, 2007 use of the new application form
became mandatory
– Administrative review of routine applications
– Technical review of non-routine
Conclusions
• Professional sign off increases confidence that work was
done to meet standards
• Professional sign off required on upstream oil and gas
sites as part of the reclamation certificate application
References
• Professional Declaration Requirements, Fact Sheet - AENV 2010
• Joint Practice Standard – hosted at AIA website, link on AENV site
• Competencies for Reclamation and Remediation
Recommendations Report, 2006
• Website - http://www.environment.alberta.ca/01973.html
Professional Sign Off for Upstream Oil and Gas Reclamation Certificate Work
Questions
Thank you to:
College of Alberta Professional Foresters
brian.lambert@gov.ab.ca
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