February 2008 Issue
Sign-off System Takes Effect
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APEGGA helps Alberta
lead the way in professional
sign-off for oil and gas remediation
and reclamation.
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As of Jan. 1, the province entrusts professional members of APEGGA and five other Alberta professional organizations to sign off on all land remediation and reclamation work for oil and gas reclamation certificates. A news release from the province says: “Albertans can be assured that all land remediation and reclamation is completed to the same high standard of excellence.”
Members of the professional organizations must be involved in the work, the release says. In fact a new joint practice standard treats reclamation and remediation like any major project, with a clear delineation of roles and responsibilities, as well as plans for risk management, quality assurance and quality control.
The standard names “contributing professionals” as responsible for portions of the work. Each project will also have a “coordinating professional,” responsible for the work overall.
The professional regulatory organizations developed the joint practice standard in consultation with the Alberta Government.
“This new standard is important to Albertans for two reasons,” said the Hon. Rob Renner, Minister of Environment. “First, professional involvement throughout the process ensures that all remediation and reclamation work is completed properly, and, second, that it is all completed to the same high standard of excellence.”
Alberta’s Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act requires operators to conserve and reclaim specified land and obtain a reclamation certificate. To obtain a reclamation certificate, the site must be assessed for contamination and cleaned up to meet Alberta Environment’s standards, the soil replaced and the site revegetated. Certificates are issued to operators when their site has been successfully reclaimed.
The six professional organizations account for more than 50,000 professionals within Alberta, from agrologists and biologists to engineers and geoscientists to foresters. More than 6,000 of the licensed professionals responsible for environmental work are collaborating to ensure continued public safety in the reclamation and remediation of sites in Alberta.
“An innovative, made-in-Alberta solution, this new process will be a model for other jurisdictions,” said Mr. Renner.
In addition to APEGGA, the professional organizations are the Alberta Institute of Agrologists, the Alberta Society of Professional Biologists, the Association of the Chemical Profession of Alberta, the College of Alberta Professional Foresters, and the College of Alberta Professional Forest Technologists.
Said APEGGA Executive Director & Registrar Neil Windsor, P.Eng.: “This announcement demonstrates the government’s confidence and trust in professional self-regulation in Alberta. It also shows just what can be accomplished when we together.
“More importantly, however, the public can be assured that this important work meets the quality and public protection standards they expect from professionals in Alberta.”
Mr. Windsor said APEGGA is “proud to be among the leaders and partners
in
this innovative approach to reclamation and remediation.”
more info
Joint Practice Standard — Professional Responsibilities in Completion and Assurance of Reclamation and Remediation Work in Alberta
..... click here