Resourceful. Responsible.
February 12, 2009
Province outlines long-term development plan for Alberta's oil sands
20-year strategic plan outlines vision for sustainable and responsible growth
Fort McMurray... The Government of Alberta has released a comprehensive 20-year strategic plan for Alberta’s oil sands that aims to reduce the environmental footprint, optimize economic growth, and increase the quality of life in Alberta’s oil sands regions.
“When it comes to Alberta’s oil sands, we believe that Canada can be a leader in finding innovative ways to ensure both economic growth and greater environmental protection,” said Lloyd Snelgrove, President of the Treasury Board and Minister responsible for the Oil Sands Sustainable Development Secretariat. “This strategy will guide our responsible approach to development, with an increased focus on the environment and the importance of this significant resource to local communities.”
Responsible Actions: A Plan for Alberta’s Oil Sands outlines long-term strategies and immediate actions that address economic, social and environmental challenges and opportunities in the oil sands regions. The plan showcases current efforts such as carbon capture and storage, and strengthens the approach for land reclamation, cumulative effects management and environmental conservation. The strategy is closely aligned with provincial and regional initiatives such as the Provincial Energy Strategy and the Land-use Framework.
“Responsible Actions is another important step in addressing high growth community pressures and a road map to our future,” added Guy Boutilier, MLA for Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo.
The strategic plan was based on extensive stakeholder consultations, which were outlined in three reports:
- Investing in our Future: Responding to the Rapid Growth of Oil Sands Development;
- Multi-stakeholder Committee Final Report; and
- Aboriginal Consultation Final Report.
Alberta’s oil sands regions contain the second largest petroleum reserves in the world and play a key role in the long-term economic growth and energy security for Alberta and Canada.
Media inquiries may be directed to:
Gerald Kastendieck
Treasury Board Communications
780-427-6699
To call toll free within Alberta dial 310-0000.
February 12, 2009
Overview of Alberta's oil sands plan
Outcomes
Responsible Actions: A Plan for Alberta’s Oil Sands aims to achieve the following outcomes in relation to Alberta’s oil sands:
- reduced environmental footprint;
- optimized economic growth; and
- increased quality of life for Albertans today and in the future.
Priority Actions
Responsible Actions contains a number of priority actions. These actions will be the initial focus of the plan’s implementation and fall under four areas: environmental stewardship, strengthening communities, economic prosperity and building relations. Some of the actions are:
- revising the current environmental impact assessment process to support cumulative effects management;
- increasing the pace of reclamation in the oil sands areas;
- continuing implementation of Fort McMurray’s community development plan to address housing shortages, while investigating opportunities to regionalize service delivery;
- initiating an independent review of oil sands research and innovation systems to identify gaps and develop an integrated, efficient and coordinated approach to oil sands development;
- leveraging bitumen royalties to develop value-added oil sands products;
- developing a regional plan for the Lower Athabasca Region (within the Land-use Framework); and
- conducting a pilot project to assess the cumulative environmental impacts of oil sands development on the rights and traditional land uses of Aboriginal people.
Strategies
The plan outlines six strategies to optimize economic growth, reduce the environmental footprint, and increase the quality of life in Alberta’s oil sands regions.
Strategy 1: Develop Alberta’s oil sands in an environmentally responsible way.
- Through implementation of the Land-use Framework, effectively manage the cumulative effects of oil sands development on the environment to protect air, land, water, biodiversity and human health.
- Enhance reclamation and increase enforcement to minimize Crown liability and protect environmental health.
- Increase conservation and protected areas to maintain biodiversity in the oil sands regions.
- Meet or exceed Alberta’s greenhouse gas reduction objectives.
- Strengthen organizations to collaboratively manage and monitor environmental performance.
Strategy 2: Promote healthy communities and a quality of life that attracts and retains individuals, families, and businesses.
- Support further planning and development of healthy communities in the oil sands regions.
- Improve public safety and security in the oil sands regions.
- Enhance timely investment in physical infrastructure in the oil sands regions.
Strategy 3: Maximize long-term value for all Albertans through economic growth, stability and resource optimization.
- Ensure that Albertans continue to receive appropriate economic benefit from extraction of oil sands.
- Optimize the economic benefit of the bitumen resource for Alberta through upgrading and value-added petrochemical development.
- Diversify Alberta’s oil sands-related products and services into other international markets.
- Maximize industrial infrastructure and address workforce needs to support economic development of the oil sands.
Strategy 4: Strengthen our proactive approach to Aboriginal consultation with a view to reconciling interests.
- Promote clarity and consistency in consultation processes with First Nations.
- Enhance collaborative government-to-government relationships.
- Continue to work with the Métis Settlements in the oil sands regions on matters affecting Settlement lands. <%2
