Alberta's energy regulator will likely put greater emphasis on conserving the land and water when it comes to future development decisions, the current chairman said last week.
Bill Tilleman said the Energy and Utilities Board - poised to be split into two separate entities next month - needs to look more closely at how the province handles conservation issues.
Tilleman said the new agency to manage energy development in Alberta, called the Energy Resources Conservation Board, will take its conservation duties seriously.
"And 2008 will be an opportunity to look at the interplay between the environment and sustainable resource development, to see how we can do a little bit better with land and water and so on," he said.
New legislation pushed through the legislature last week also sets plans in motion to create a separate Alberta Utilities Commission to deal with the increasingly contentious issue of power development and distribution.
Years worth of regulatory work toward a major new transmission line between Edmonton and Calgary was shut down in late September amid scandal and allegations that the government hired private investigators to spy upon opposed land owners.
Both regulators will be headquartered in Calgary, but will be housed in separate buildings and have separate staff, allowing personnel to focus more on issues, said Tilleman.
Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach's government has yet to appointment chairmen to the new regulatory boards and Tilleman has said he will stay on only until the transition is complete early next year.
But while Tilleman might see environmental conservation as a key issue, it will really be up to the Alberta government to lead the way, said Dan Woynillowicz of the Pembina Institute.
"The extent to which the environment is given greater consideration in their decisions is going to depend on the government setting that tone, and to date we really haven't seen that from this government.
But Woynillowicz said public opinion polls also show that Albertans are putting environmental issues as one of their top concerns and issues.
Tilleman also said that he expected the regulatory process - often criticized by industry for its complexity and length - will be sped up. He said plans for a greater emphasis on work within the community and early dispute resolution should eliminate the need for a lot of hearings.
The new law that establishes the new regulatory agencies was pushed through during an all-night session at the legislature as Stelmach's government wrapped up its fall sitting.
The contentious bill was roundly criticized by landowners for stripping them of their rights to appear at future hearings into various projects and receive funding to fight energy and utility projects.
But Tilleman said anyone who is directly and adversely affected by proposed projects will be still be included in the process.
Tilleman, who was appointed as interim chairman in September, admitted that 2007 was a tough year for the regulator. And he said public confidence will take some time to rebuild after the spying scandal and other allegations that the board sent undercover plainclothes private investigators to attend public hearings in case of violence.
After a damning report by Alberta's privacy commissioner, Tilleman worked quickly to disband the board's security unit, parting ways with its head of security and accepting the resignation of three directors.