Alberta's Attorney General sounds warning on province's dams and states need for inspection — Photo courtesy Yahoo News
CALGARY, ALBERTA--(Marketwired - March 11, 2015) - The Alberta Energy Regulator has accepted all of the recommendations made by the Alberta Auditor General following an audit on pipeline safety that was released earlier today.
Alberta Energy Regulator Pipeline Safety Audit
The Auditor General's pipeline safety audit found that the AER has well-functioning pipeline regulation systems, noting that "Albertans can be assured that the regulator is performing its essential function of overseeing pipeline safety and reliability in Alberta." The audit made six recommendations for improvement focused on surveillance and enforcement activities.
"I'm pleased that the Auditor General has expressed confidence in the Alberta Energy Regulator's oversight of pipeline safety in Alberta," said President and CEO Jim Ellis. "While we welcome the opportunity to continuously improve our work, Albertans can be assured that we will continue to ensure the safe, environmentally responsible development of our energy resources."
The AER has begun implementing changes to pipeline regulation as a result of the audit process and its findings, including improvements in surveillance and enforcement, establishing performance measures and targets and enhanced training for AER staff.
Auditor General's Audit of Alberta Government's Dam Safety Program
Also today, the Auditor General released its audit of Alberta Environment and Sustainable Development's management of the province's Dam Safety Program.
In 2014, the AER accepted responsibility for the regulation of all dams related to development of Alberta's energy resources. The transition of these responsibilities was completed in September 2014. The AER regulates 65 of the approximately 1500 dams in Alberta - 40 of those 65 dams are related to oil sands development while the remaining 25 are related to coal mining. A list of Alberta's oil sands dams can be found below.
"The Auditor General's recommendations related to dam safety will be applied to the AER's regulatory oversight of dams related to energy development as part of our mandate to ensure the safe, environmentally responsible development of energy resources for Albertans," said Ellis. "The Auditor General has recognized the AER's pipeline regulation performance, and Albertans can be confident that we will apply that same rigour to all AER-regulated dams."
In May 2015, the AER will launch an inspection program to ensure the integrity of all AER-regulated dams, including a review of past inspection data from Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development. This inspection program is expected to be complete by the end of October 2015, and the results will be made public.
Copies of the Auditor General's reports.
The Alberta Energy Regulator ensures the safe, efficient, orderly, and environmentally responsible development of hydrocarbon resources over their entire life cycle. This includes allocating and conserving water resources, managing public lands, and protecting the environment while providing economic benefits for all Albertans.
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