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Oil and gas development has been occurring in the Peace River area since the late 1950s; however, it was not until 2008 that advances in technology made development of the bitumen in the area economically feasible. Industry activity increased in the area, as did the number of odour complaints from residents.

We rely on Albertans to inform us if something is wrong. Since residents of Peace River came to us with their concerns, we’ve made many changes to our regulations and how we engage with stakeholders in the area.

In April 2014, we accepted all recommendations—within our jurisdiction—made by an independent panel of hearing commissioners following a proceeding to examine odours and emissions from heavy oil operations in the Peace River area.

How We Took Action

Since the proceeding, we have

  • increased communication with local residents in the area;
  • increased inspections of oil and gas facilities; and
  • enforced stringent rules to control gas odours emitted from operations in the area.

Today, our requirements for heavy oil bitumen companies in the Peace River area—listed in Directive 084: Requirements for Hydrocarbon Emission Controls and Gas Conservation in the Peace River Area—are designed to control gas emissions that contribute to offensive odours.

We will take compliance and enforcement action if we find a company is not complying with these rules. Our enforcement actions can include ordering repairs, either immediately or within a specific timeframe, or even shutting down facilities.

Progress and Updates

Our Peace River Performance Dashboard shows our progress in reducing flaring, venting, and incinerating, and increasing gas conservation in the Peace River area.

Reports and Engagement

OneStop Related Documents

For templates associated with Directive 084 bulk uploads into OneStop, please visit the help section. 

Contact Us

For historical information on our work in the Peace River area (i.e., compliance sweeps and status reports), please email Webmaster@aer.ca.