One-stop regulatory approvals within sight in Alberta

Alberta’s Energy and Utilities Board may be the sole approving agency for all oil and natural gas applications within two years, according to board Chairman Neil McCrank.

He told an oil sands conference in January that the Alberta government’s departments of energy, sustainable development and the environment have agreed to streamline the approval process, eliminating layers of duplication.

Currently producers and pipeline operators have to clear several departments and government agencies in both the Alberta and Canadian governments — a process McCrank agreed is too complicated.

Although the one-stop approval is still a “bit of a pipedream” that requires a “lot of legislation,” the Energy and Utilities Board and government officials are confident it will happen, he said.

TransCanada Chief Executive Officer Hal Kvisle has been one of the strongest advocates of cleaning out red tape.

Noting that the Energy and Utilities Board, Canada’s National Energy Board and the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission are all exploring ways to reduce fees associated with approval processes, he welcomed the progress, but, like McCrank, said change will not occur overnight.