The Sorcerer’s Apprentice: Government of Alberta and Energy Leasing

for Synergy Alberta conference by Carolyn Campbell AWA Conservation Specialist October 25, 2011

Outline • • • • •

AWA Rights sale process in AB Effects Other jurisdictions Recommendations

Alberta Wilderness Association Goals Protect representative wilderness Manage land use for: • water security • biodiversity

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice

Public Sales of Rights Tenure, or rights to explore for development Companies ask Alberta Energy for land parcels to go into public offering schedule (rights sales every two weeks, to highest bidder) Energy refers request to Crown Mineral Disposition Review Committee (CMDRC)

http://www.energy.alberta.ca/Tenure/1087.asp , http://www.energy.alberta.ca/Tenure/867.asp and http://www.srd.alberta.ca/LandsForests/LandManagement/CrownMineralDisposition.aspx

CMDRC Committee of 5 depts, ERCB, Special Areas Board Identifies major surface or environmental concerns on public land On private lands, addresses environmental but not surface issues May recommend surface access restrictions on land parcels in Public Offering Notice http://www.srd.alberta.ca/LandsForests/LandManagement/CrownMineralDisposition.aspx, Alberta Energy Information Letter 2007-21, and Alberta Energy presentation to LICA April 14, 2011

AB Energy • receives CMDRC restrictions • updates its surface access restriction database ‘no go’, timing constraints or special buffer zones, or ‘to be determined’ factors include ecological reserves, provincial parks, natural areas, key caribou habitat areas, integrated resource plan zones

• decides if rights will be sold http://www.srd.alberta.ca/LandsForests/LandManagement/CrownMineralDisposition.aspx, http://www.energy.alberta.ca/Tenure/1096.asp and Alberta Energy Information Letter 2007-21

Alberta Energy Leasing • • • •

No public input Little transparency Ineffective for species at risk Cumulative effects not considered

Alberta Woodland Caribou

Intact forest sensitive species East Side of Athabasca River (ESAR) woodland caribou herds and ranges

Source: Government of Alberta, Status of the Woodland Caribou, Update 2010

Industry bmps not working ESAR herds Estimated % change in female adult population, 1992-2009

Source: Government of Alberta, Status of the Woodland Caribou, Update 2010

CEMA maps caribou ranges and existing subsurface leases, 2007

CEMA’s Jan 2008 nonconsensus request: defer leasing for 3 years in four potential conservation areas rejected May 2008 until Land Use Framework decisions finalized

Leasing in caribou habitat continues Caribou ranges with bitumen leases in oil sands area: April 2008 – 60% July 2011 – 81%

Map: Global Forest Watch Canada, Oct. 2011

Protecting caribou habitat fails Intact habitat needed for 60% survival chance: 65% of range Currently protected in Lower Athabasca region: 3% Proposed addition in Conservation Areas: 6%

Map: Global Forest Watch Canada, Sept. 2011

Alberta Sage-Grouse

Year 2014

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Male Sage-grouse Dancers Counted

Decline of Alberta's Greater Sage-grouse

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0

Alberta Grizzly Bear

Cumulative effects… 1949

1964

1982

1991

“Human use of access (specifically, motorized vehicle routes) is one of the primary threats to grizzly bear persistence.”

Social Impacts of Current Leasing Process?

Alberta Government Revenue “energy revenues account for almost a third of the revenue allocated under Alberta's provincial budget” “department collected over $11.9 billion in non-renewable resource revenues for the 2008/09 fiscal year.” http://www.energy.alberta.ca/OurBusiness.asp

BC oil and gas leases All tenure requests subject to pre-tenure review: Energy Ministry seeks input from local governments, First Nations, the Oil and Gas Commission, other provincial government agencies on the parcel area

BC Muskwa-Kechika Land Use and Public Input • 44,500 sq km (~1/2 Athabasca oil sands) • 1997 Management Plan based on multi-stakeholder land use teams • 26% protected areas • Road access integrated planning central

BC Muskwa-Kechika Special Mgmt Areas • Pre-tenure plans required before energy leasing, involving stakeholder workshops and First Nations consultation • Multi-stakeholder Advisory Board: semi-annual reviews of tenure issuance and management plans

Alaska Federal Lands National Petroleum Reserve • 93,000 sq km = Athabasca oil sands area Land use plans w/ public input precede leasing NW area plan (40% of reserve): large lease deferral areas (17%), ‘no surface access’ areas (23%), extra setback and study areas Public comments on lease applications

Alaska State Lands ‘Best Interest Finding’ with public comment period precedes leasing Regional or “Areawide” BIF good for 10 years – public call for new information annually Current legal dispute: should BIF also occur for post-lease phases to assess cumulative effects ?

Recommendations Meaningful public input into leasing decisions

Follow through on commitments

Energy Strategy

Clean Air Strategy

Biodiversity Action Plan

Too Good to Waste Strategy

Climate Change Strategy

Water for Life

Land-use Framework

Cumulative Effects Management Image from January 2010 presentation by AB Environment to AB Environmental Network

Land Use Planning Set land disturbance thresholds to manage cumulative effects

Land Use Planning Complete representative protected areas network

Uphold biodiversity commitments Deliver on overdue biodiversity strategy

Green- ESAs 1997/98 Red - ESAs 2009 Brown - overlap

Questions/Comments? www.albertawilderness.ca E-mail: [email protected]