Overview
The Alberta government’s upstream oil and gas conservation and reclamation program aims to return sites to equivalent land capability. A reclaimed site should support the same uses as it did before it was disturbed.
The Alberta government develops policies and regulations that govern this conservation and reclamation.
The Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) regulates upstream oil and gas activities through their life cycle. This includes:
- conservation
- construction
- operations
- reclamation
The AER also administers the upstream oil and gas reclamation certification program.
Find out more about AER’s role in managing upstream oil and gas sites at: Alberta Energy Regulator.
Reclamation criteria
The AER uses certain criteria to assess whether sites have been reclaimed to equivalent land capability.
Reclamation criteria is available for 4 land-use types:
- 2010 Reclamation Criteria for Well Sites and Associated Facilities for Cultivated Lands
Updated July 2013 - 2010 Reclamation Criteria for Well Sites and Associated Facilities for Forested Lands
Updated July 2013 - 2010 Reclamation Criteria for Well Sites and Associated Facilities for Native Grasslands
Updated July 2013 - Reclamation Criteria for Well Sites and Associated Facilities for Peatlands
Revised March 2017
Use of Professional Judgement
Qualified professionals can use their judgement to recommend if a site should pass or fail as directed in the Reclamation Criteria for Well Sites and Associated Facilities. A variance is submitted for approval to the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) through OneStop.
Change in Land Use Variance Requests
Guidance is available for preparing change in land use variance requests and should be used for applicable sites and scenarios:
For variance requests involving a change in land use from peatland to forested upland, the following tools must be used:
- Decision Framework and Support Tools (DFST) for change in land use variance requests related to mineral pads in peatlands on public lands
- DFST Change in Land Use Recommendation Calculator
The DFST (developed by the Petroleum Technology Alliance Canada) must be used to inform the application, and outputs from the Land Use Recommendation Calculator must be included as part of the variance request submission.
Weed Variance Requests
Guidance is available on how to prepare professional justification for weed and undesirable/problem species variances on reclaimed forested sites:
The Government of Alberta also endorses using the Petroleum Technology Alliance Committee’s report when preparing a weed variance application for approval from the AER:
Professional sign off
When applying for a reclamation certificate, a signed professional declaration must be included.
To find out more about sign-off requirements, including required competencies, see: Land conservation and reclamation – Professional sign off.
Additional guidance
- Application for Exemption from Requirement to Obtain a Reclamation Certificate Due to Presence of an Overlapping Activity
- Burial of Material On-lease
C&R IL 97-5 - Certification Requirements for Well Sites with No Surface Disturbance (Surveyed Only)
C&R IL 94-3 - Conservation and Reclamation Guidelines for Alberta
C&R IL 97-1 - Conservation and Reclamation Notice
C&R IL 94-2 - Environmental Protection Guidelines for Oil Production Sites
C&R IL 02-1, revised January 2002 - Guide to Certification for Site Reductions, Additions, Overlaps, Multi-Well Facilities and Forced Lease Boundary Changes
Alberta Environment and Parks, Land Policy, 2015, No. 2 - Guide for Oil Production Sites Pursuant to the EPEA and Regulations
Code of practice, in effect as of July 1, 1997 - Guidelines for End Land Use Planning for Reclaiming Borrow Pits Supporting Energy Activities on Public Lands
- Management of Wood Chips on Public Land
ID 2009-01 - Native Prairie Protocol for Reclamation Certification of Salt-Affected Wellsites
- Preparing Variance Justifications for Weeds and Problematic Species on Well Sites and Associated Facilities on Forested Land
- Principles for Minimizing Surface Disturbance in Native Grassland
Principles, guidelines and tools for all industrial activity in native grasslands in the Prairie and Parkland landscapes of Alberta - Problem-Introduced Forages on Prairie and Parkland Reclamation Sites: Guidance for Non-Cultivated Lands
R&R 03-3 - Progressive Reclamation and Interim Clean-up
SD 2010-02 - Revegetation Using Native Plant Materials – Guidelines for Industrial Development Sites
R&R 03-3 - Sites Reclaimed Using Natural Recovery Methods – Guidance on Site Assessment
R&R 03-6 - Siting an Upstream Oil and Gas Site in an Environmentally Sensitive Area on Private Land - Guidance for Private Land
R&R 03-2 - Third-Party Impact on Reclamation
C&R IL 97-4 - Voluntary Shutdown Criteria for Construction Activity Operations
C&R IL 98-4 - Weed Management on Industrial Sites
R&R 12-01 - Well-site Construction: Guidelines for No-Strip and Reduced Disturbance
R&R 03-7
Technical resources
- Acceptable Salinity, Sodicity and pH Values for Boreal Forest Reclamation
Report #ESD/LM/00-2 - Foothills Fescue Grassland – Principles for Minimizing Surface Disturbance
IL 2010-02 - Glossary of Reclamation and Remediation Terms Used in Alberta
7th edition - Literature Review of Reclamation Practices in the Central Parkland and Northern Fescue Natural Sub-regions
- Native Prairie Protocol for salt-affected wellsites: scientific rationale document
- Recovery Strategies for Industrial Development in Native Prairie - Dry Mixed-grass Natural Sub-region of Alberta
First approximation (2013) - Recovery Strategies for Industrial Development in Native Prairie – Mixed-grass Natural Sub-region of Alberta
First approximation, 2014