Formal Disposition Application Administration

This phase of the disposition application process begins when Environment and Protected Areas (the Department) or the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) (the Agency) receive an application submission. There are a number of steps before a decision can be made on a disposition application.

1. Application Validation

Electronic validation is an automated check done by the Electronic Disposition System once the submit button has been pressed by the applicant to ensure that an application submission is valid.

For those disposition applications that are allowed to be submitted via paper documentation, a manual validation is done.

Upon successful submission of an application, a copy of the completed application form and the assigned disposition number are emailed to the applicant.

2. Completeness Review

The Completeness Review consists of the technical review and the administrative review. If the application is complete it can proceed to a merit review. If an application is not complete it is rejected.

  1. Technical Review

    A technical review of all validated disposition application submissions is conducted by the Department/Agency. The technical review determines if the technical information (land and boundary surveys/plans) provided in an application meets the Department/Agency standards.
     
  2. Administrative Review

    An administrative review of all validated disposition application submissions is conducted by the Department/Agency following a technical review. The application documents are assessed to ensure content meets regulatory standards: that all documents are correct for that application and they contain complete and accurate information.
     
  3. Acceptance or Rejection of the Application

    The regulatory body will notify the applicant if their application has been accepted or rejected via email or a letter (Public Lands Administration Regulation (PLAR): Section 9(6) and Section 9(7)).

    The notice of acceptance or rejection will be sent to the applicant or agent acting on behalf of the applicant within 30 days of receipt of the application. This time period may be extended for a further 90 days (not to extend beyond a maximum of 120 days) by the Director (PLAR: Section 15(2)).

  4. Next Steps

    If the submitted application is rejected notice will be sent to the applicant identifying the deficiencies that caused the application to be rejected.
    • If this occurs and the applicant wishes to re-submit the application they must submit a new application, the identified issues must be corrected and the non-refundable application fee will be required.
    • The system will not accept the same Land Analysis Tool report number in a re-submitted application. All resubmitted documents must reflect the new Land Analysis Tool report number.

    For these reasons, it is critical that applicants are thorough, and submit complete, well planned and correct applications the first time.

  5. Public Notice (AER)

    The Agency provides public notice for all public lands applications for energy-related activities that are filed with the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER). These are posted on the AER website under the Public Notice of Applications Tool. This gives Albertans concerned about a particular application an opportunity to submit a "statement of concern," which is a written submission that outlines specific concerns about an application. A statement of concern may be filed by anyone who believes they may be directly and adversely affected by an application.

3. Referrals

Once an application submission has been accepted, the next step is to assess whether a referral is required within or outside the department as applications may require additional input.

4. Merit Review

If the application meets the administrative and technical requirements, a "merit" review is done as per the Public Lands Administration Regulation: Section 9 5(b).

When assessing a disposition application based on merit, many factors may be considered including if:

  • The land use is acceptable and in the best interest for that land base
  • The proposed disposition is in compliance with Alberta land management regional plans (if applicable)
  • The proposed disposition does not impact or conflict with any existing land uses or stakeholders
  • The disturbance limits of applicable disturbance standards are being met

Regulatory body staff evaluate the application and any proposed mitigation strategies identified in consultation with other Department/Agency divisions and referral agencies. This enables discussion between industry and regulatory staff regarding any proposed mitigation strategies and how to best minimize impacts to landscape sensitivities. The appropriate regulatory body must determine if any mitigation strategies identified in the Mitigation Supplement will be accepted or refused.

  • If the application and associated mitigation strategies are not accepted, the regulatory body will communicate this refusal in writing.

Based on all the information gathered and assessment made during the application review stages, a recommendation for decision is made to the "director."

5. Director Decision

The next step is that the director must make a decision. The applicant is notified of the decision. For more information see:

Prior to the issuance of the formal disposition the applicant may withdraw an application submission by submitting a withdrawal request via email to:

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