Oil Sands Emissions Limit engagement

Input was gathered on the Oil Sands Advisory Group's recommendations for implementing a 100 megatonne limit on emissions in the oil sands.

Overview

Alberta's Climate Leadership Plan committed to limit oil sands emissions to 100 megatonnes in any year, with provisions for cogeneration and new upgrading capacity.

The Oil Sands Emissions Limit Act enshrined this commitment in legislation and set out the legal framework for implementation.

The multi-stakeholder Oil Sands Advisory Group (OSAG) was established in July 2016 to advise the government on the oil sands aspects of the Climate Leadership Plan and ensure its initiatives are effective.

The OSAG submitted their consensus recommendations for implementating a 100 megatonne limit on emissions for the oil sands in June 2017:

• Executive summary of the OSAG report
• Full version of the OSAG report

Their advice included:

• early actions designed to encourage additional emissions reductions in the oil sands
• additional actions in the event emissions begin to approach the 100 megatonne limit

Public and stakeholder engagement

Albertans and stakeholders provided input on the OSAG recommendations by responding to questions outlined in the technical discussion guide or completing the online survey, which closed Dec 2, 2017.

Sessions were also held with industry stakeholders, environment groups, indigenous peoples and communities potentially affected by the OSAG recommendations.

Download the Technical Discussion Guide (PDF, 222 KB)

Outcomes

Input collected will be integrated with the Oil Sands Advisory Group's advice to develop an efficient and effective policy framework on how to best implement the 100 megatonne emissions limit, including any regulations.

Contact

For questions or further information, contact the Alberta Climate Change Office at engagement@gov.ab.ca