Regulations
Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) regulations apply to all of Canada (including offshore). Alberta Energy Regulator requirements apply to Alberta only.
Please contact Alberta Energy for questions about how our provincial requirements relate to the federal ones. (Select "General Inquiries,” then “Oil, Gas, Electricity.”)
We use extensive modelling to inform our regulatory design to ensure efficient, safe, orderly, and environmentally responsible development of energy and mineral resources in Alberta. Contact Alberta Energy for questions related to costs.
Government of Alberta Offset Program
The Government of Alberta has implemented a program for projects to voluntarily reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to generate emission offsets under the Technology Innovation and Emission Reduction (TIER) Implementation Act. For more information, please visit Government of Alberta's website.
Emissions Requirements
Emissions requirements apply to AER-regulated
- upstream oil, gas and bitumen wells,
- oil and gas facilities,
- gas plants,
- pipeline installations,
- storage facilities, and
- tank terminals (i.e., production and injection wells, batteries, and central processing facilities within thermal in situ oil sands schemes).
Emissions requirements do not apply to
- AER-regulated facilities that are not related to oil, gas or bitumen production (such as coal, shallow water wells, brine wells, CER-regulated facilities, midstream meter stations, or midstream pipelines),
- oil sands mining schemes,
- processing plants for removing bitumen from oil sands at mines, including upgraders,
- refineries,
- railcar loading facilities,
- downstream distribution pipelines, and
- downstream facilities.
Measurement System
With financial support from Natural Resources Canada, we have further developed our OneStop platform to include methane emissions reporting.
Measurement, monitoring, and reporting are important elements of the requirements. Improved reporting and measurement are helping quantify and track Alberta’s progress towards methane emissions reduction.
Compliance Assurance
To determine compliance with the requirements, we use various tools, including data audits, facility inspections, and regional surveys.
Noncompliances are dealt with in accordance with Manual 013: Compliance and Enforcement Program and may include enforcement tools ranging from warnings and administrative penalties to orders imposing conditions and prosecution.
Related Information
We publish methane data on our Methane Performance webpage, including
- methane emissions by facility type, production type, or area,
- summary information on our alternative Fugitive Emissions Management Program (FEMP), and
- measures to improve industry methane performance.
This is part of our industry performance program, which measures, evaluates, and reports on the energy development activities that we regulate.
