Alberta government launches review of energy regulator

Alberta launching review of energy regulator The United Conservative Party is launching a review of the provincial energy regulator.

A pair of ministries in the Alberta government will be working together to review the policies and protocols of the agency that oversees safe and responsible development of the province's energy resources.

Energy Minister Sonya Savage and Environment and Parks Minister Jason Nixon announced a review of the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) on Friday.

Savage says despite bringing in more staff, the performance of the AER has declined over the past few years.

"It now takes four times longer than other jurisdictions like Texas to get a project approved in Alberta," she said. "We are engaging in a thoughtful and thorough evaluation of the regulator in order to maintain the high standards that have made Alberta a global oil and gas leader."

The review will include in-person stakeholder workshops with municipal and professional associations and Indigenous groups.

As a result, the current members of the AER board will be replaced with an interim board made up of oil and gas experts for the next nine months.

The province is also looking for feedback from the public about AER's practices from now until mid-October.

The government will release a report once the review is complete.