Listen to this article
Estimated 5 minutes
The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.
The Alberta government is looking to fast-track some energy projects it says are critical to the province’s future.
Bill 30, if passed, gives the provincial cabinet the ability to accelerate major energy projects by creating an 120-day approval window. Critics say it is an aggressive timeline that raises red flags.
Projects must align with provincial priorities, be of strategic economic importance and have at least $250 million in capital investment. To qualify, the province says proponents must complete or have substantially completed an environmental impact assessment and Indigenous consultation.
In a news conference on Tuesday, Energy and Minerals Minister Brian Jean said the current process is riddled with unnecessary delays.
“There are many examples of projects that have spent years working through the application and approval processes only to be sent back to square one basically on a technicality,” he said.
The bill would create a review team to make recommendations to a committee of deputy ministers for approval. After that, cabinet will designate projects that qualify, starting a 120-day countdown for the Alberta Energy Regulator or other regulatory agencies to get projects approved.
Jean said the regulator will continue to be autonomous, with the power to deny permits as it sees fit.
He said faster approvals will help attract investment and expand to global markets during a time when demand is high.
Janetta McKenzie, the director of oil and gas at the Pembina Institute, an energy think tank, said four months is an aggressive timeline for approval.
That said, she noted provincial regulators aren’t the major source of delays for most projects. Those can stem from uncertain policy environments or court challenges.
“An incomplete or improper assessment when a project is first being proposed can lead to problems down the road,” McKenzie said.
David Wright, an associate professor studying natural resources law at the University of Calgary, said its another example of fast-tracking happening across the country, but he was “pleasantly surprised” to see it explicitly lay out a duty to consult.
Because of that, he thinks it would only apply to projects that are quite advanced.
Ahead of a premiers’ meeting in Ottawa on Wednesday, Prime Minister Mark Carney hosted Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and British Columbia Premier David Eby. Tensions mounted publicly between the two premiers in November over a potential new pipeline to B.C.’s North Coast detailed in an energy agreement between Alberta and Ottawa.
But McKenzie noted there’s no clarity yet on what substantial completion for Indigenous consultation or environmental assessment means — and that leaves the door open for the fast-tracking to be exploited.
“I think it raises a lot of alarm bells,” she said.
Jesse Cardinal, the executive director of Keepers of the Water, a First Nations, Métis, Inuit, environmental group said when she looks at what is happening in Alberta and across Canada, it seems like treaty obligations are being side stepped.
“They’re saying yes to the money, but they’re not saying yes to the responsibilities that come with saying yes to all of these projects,” she said.
“The First Nations are very aware that this is happening and there is a mounting sense of anger.”
Regulators think 120 days is an appropriate timeframe, Jean told reporters. He noted the United States gets similar work done in a month. He emphasized the bill does not preclude Alberta’s duty to consult.
“We’re hoping as the Alberta government that we can step in and say: ‘Hey, you haven’t done enough there.’”
“We expect the highest level of Indigenous consultations.”
NDP energy critic Nagwan Al-Guneid said what industry wants is certainty, and doing things too quickly can just lead to more delays down the road.
“Of course we want to build major projects in Alberta and the way to do this is rolling up your sleeves and doing the hard work and not shortcuts.”
Federal approvals
It comes after Premier Danielle Smith signed a memorandum of understanding with Prime Minister Mark Carney to reduce layers of regulatory overlap and get federal approvals done in a two-year timeframe.
They reached a subsequent agreement last month to have Alberta take control of regulatory approvals for major projects, signaling the province would be looking for ways to deliver projects faster.
It means projects in Alberta’s jurisdiction will follow its environmental impact assessment, to avoid duplication. Projects that involve federal land or water will still be subject to federal review.
Jean said he hopes the federal government makes similar strides to speed approvals up even more.
“Alberta is usually the leader on this kind of thing. So I’m hoping to see that,” he said.
“We think two years is too long.”
