Acts and regulations
Table 1. Oil sands acts and regulations (available on the Open Government website)
| Title | Chapter | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Chapter M-17 | This act governs the management and disposition of rights in Crown-owned minerals. It includes the levying and collecting of bonuses, rental and royalties. (Administration of portions of this act is shared with Alberta Environment and Protected Areas.) | |
| A.R. 262/97 | ||
| A.R. 170/2015 | This replaced the Oil Sands Dispute Resolution Regulation, which was repealed on November 30, 2015. | |
| A.R. 92/2020 | This replaced the Oil Sands Tenure Regulation, 2010, which was repealed on December 1, 2020. | |
| A.R. 223/2008 |
| |
| A.R. 185/97 | ||
| A.R. 231/2008 | ||
| A.R. 232/2008 | ||
| A.R. 222/2008 | ||
| Chapter O-7 | This act establishes regulations and approvals for the development of oil sands resources and related facilities in Alberta. It is administered by the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER). | |
| A.R. 76/88 | ||
| A.R. 44/2001 | Under this act, the responsibility for certain enactments was transferred to the Minister of Energy and Minerals. | |
| A.R. 284/2006 | ||
| Chapter F-25 | ||
| A.R. 186/2008 | ||
| Section 1(1)(zz) and Section 13 | Portions of this regulation apply to oil sands solution gas, administered by the AER. |
Regulatory processes
Alberta's oil sands are the fourth-largest proven crude oil reserves in the world. For potential developers and producers new to the development of oil sands in Alberta, there are regulatory procedures to:
- acquire an agreement from the Crown
- start the development process
The following guide explains the regulatory processes you must follow to ensure responsible development of Alberta’s oil sands: Introduction to Oil Sands Regulatory Processes.
Overview
It is important to understand each of the following steps:
- An Electronic Transfer System (ETS) account must be set up to begin extracting Alberta’s oil sands.
- Acquiring an agreement. You must purchase an agreement.
- Alberta Energy Regulator (AER). You must acquire approval from the AER.
- Apply with Alberta Energy and Minerals if you want an oil sands royalty (OSR) project (this is optional). If you apply for an OSR project you must obtain project approval.
- You must comply with the department’s reporting and royalty payment requirements.
Contact
Connect with Oil Sands, Coal and Mineral Operations:
Hours: 8:15 am to 4:30 pm (open Monday to Friday, closed statutory holidays)
Email:
Oil Sands Royalty Project Applications and Compliance osrapplications.energy@gov.ab.ca
Oil Sands Royalty Administration osreport@gov.ab.ca
Oil Sands Royalty Information Management osrim@gov.ab.ca
Oil Sands Tenure ostenure@gov.ab.ca
Mailing Address:
Alberta Energy and Minerals
Oil Sands, Coal and Mineral Operations
6th floor, Petroleum Plaza, North Tower
9945 108 Street
Edmonton Alberta T5K 2G6