FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PROVINCIAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC SAFETY AND SOUR GAS ISSUES TERMS OF REFERENCE

Calgary, Alberta (April 11, 2000) The newly formed province-wide Advisory Committee on Public Safety and Sour Gas has released its Terms of Reference and Operating Principles, pledging to engage the public in meaningful consultation during its review of sour gas safety issues in Alberta. The Committee (members list attached) will report their findings and present recommendations this fall to the Alberta Energy and Utilities Board (EUB), which acts as Alberta’s energy industry regulator.

“The public needs to know that Alberta’s regulatory framework for sour gas development ensures a high level of public health and safety, worthy of continuous public confidence,” said Committee Chairman Gerry DeSorcy. “I want to clarify that the term ‘public health and safety’ as used by the Committee includes immediate or long-term effects of short-term exposure to sour gas on human health. It does not include possible long-term or chronic effects of very low concentrations of sour gas on human health, because the latter is being dealt with through other initiatives.”

By way of both extensive public consultation and analysis, this multi-stakeholder Committee will evaluate existing sour gas policies, standards and regulations. The scope of this work will centre on a review of public safety related requirements as these are applied to the approval, development and operation of Alberta’s sour natural gas resources. The Committee has also determined a series of principles under which it will operate. These include:

• Public Health and Safety are primary considerations in the decision making and reporting of the Committee.
• There is a range of legitimate rights amongst the various stakeholders.
• Public concerns respecting the safety of sour gas development will be addressed.
• Public participates openly in the decision-making process.
• Committee work is open, transparent and relevant.
• The Committee will endeavour to support its recommendations with scientifically based research.
• The Committee’s information will be complete and factual.
• Technical information will be presented in an understandable manner.
• The focus of the Committee’s recommendations will be on prevention and continuous improvement.

As with the issue of long term human health effects, the Committee also clearly states that while it will not formally address or make recommendations on chronic animal health, sulphur recovery guidelines, flaring requirements or compensation matters related to a sour gas release, these matters will be discussed in the context of relevance to the committee’s mandate.

“These types of issues obviously cannot be isolated from the work of the Committee, nor from the community,” notes Gerry DeSorcy. “But at the same time, our work will result in a report and a series of recommendations that will be within our mandate. I believe this Committee will deliver a series of recommendations that will first and foremost be of benefit to the people of Alberta. As part of these recommendations and desired outcomes, we will also include a proposal for implementing our recommendations, and the use of a continuous improvement process.”

In its Terms of Reference, the committee has listed its desired outcomes as being:

• Issues relating to sour gas development are prioritized and suggested actions developed.
• Committee members, the public and the EUB are more informed, knowledgeable and confident about sour gas Public Health and Safety issues.
• Revised requirements allow for better resolution of current and future sour gas related issues.
• An understanding of how the recommended changes to requirements will affect the rights of all stakeholders.
• Clarification of the roles and responsibilities of the EUB and other authorities such as municipalities and regional health authorities is obtained.
• Recommendations that may effect changes or modifications to current technical and non-technical requirements, such as: revisions to emergency planning zone determination methodology; revisions to setback requirements; adoption of standards for hazard and risk assessment; revisions to emergency response preparedness requirements; revisions to public involvement expectations and research needs.

The Committee is now planning its public outreach program, which will consist of opportunities for Albertans to present their views on safety and sour gas. The program will provide for input through a variety of methods which may include regional meetings, community groups and written submissions. An Advisory Committee on Public Safety and Sour Gas web site, (www.publicsafetyandsourgas.org) is now in operation and is being constantly updated.

Sour gas is natural gas that contains hydrogen sulphide (H₂S), a toxic gas with a rotten-egg odour. Alberta has approximately 5000 producing sour gas wells, more than 200 sour gas processing plants, and over 10 000 km of sour gas pipelines. Sour gas is also present in crude oil, which is then referred to as sour crude oil. Sour gas is found all across the province of Alberta as well as in Saskatchewan and British Columbia.

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This news release is also available on the Committee Web site at www.publicsafetyandsourgas.org

For further information please contact
Marilyn Craig
Secretariat to the Provincial Advisory Committee
Tel: (403) 297-8855 (For toll free long distance calls: Dial 310-0000 then dial 297-8855)
Fax: (403) 297-8114 (For toll free long distance fax: Dial 310-0000 then dial 297-8114)

MR-1

ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP – April 11, 2000