Environmental Compliance Audit of Oil Sands Facilities

This course will inform you about all of the regulatory requirements of an environmental nature pertinent to oil sands facility operations (mining, bitumen extraction and upgrading, and in-situ steaming schemes).

Course Outline

After participating in this seminar, you will be able to:

• identify thoroughly all Federal and Alberta environmental requirements
• understand fully facility-specific approval environmental requirements
• plan and execute an effective audit

Description

Environmental managers, coordinators, scientists, engineers, consultants, and regulatory personnel need to have a clear understanding of environmental compliance issues under the Federal and Provincial regulations. This course will inform you about all of the regulatory requirements of an environmental nature pertinent to oil sands facility operations (mining, bitumen extraction and upgrading, and in-situ steaming schemes). You'll be guided to the key specific environmental compliance requirements that should be audited periodically, whether by a team of internal or external auditors. You'll learn in workshops, how to effectively plan and execute your compliance audit.

Objective

Educate the course participant about the "big picture" of environmental compliance requirements for oil sands facilities. Equip the course participant with sufficient insight and an audit approach of essential compliance requirements to assure internal and external acceptance of good environmental performance.

Who Should Attend

Oil sands facility representatives responsible for proposed developments and operations related to environmental permit planning and compliance reporting. Consultants assisting oil sands developers and operators in permitting, environmental assessment, monitoring, water resource engineering, and environmental reporting. Regulatory representatives, who are responsible for assuring compliance performance in the oil sands industry. Lawyers, who provide legal council to oil sands companies.

Program Outline

Day I

8:00 Registration and Coffee

8:15 Welcome, Introduction, Workshop Preview, Learning Outcomes and the  Assessment Method

8:30 Overview of Compliance Requirements

• Federal Fisheries Act
• Canadian Environmental Protection Act - NPRI
• CCME Code of Practice (COP) and guidelines
• Alberta Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act (EPEA) and Regulations
• EPEA Conservation and Reclamation Regulations and COPs
• EPEA Substance Release Regulations and COPs

10:00 Refreshments and Networking

10:15 Overview of Compliance Requirements Continued

• EPEA Waste Control Regulation and COPs
• EPEA other regulations, approvals and  registrations
• EPEA objectives, codes, guidelines and directives
• Water Act (WA), regulations, COPs, licences, approvals and registrations
• Alberta Climate Change and Emissions Management Act and SGER
• Alberta Public Lands Act (PLA) and other acts under ASRD
• Energy Resources Conservation Board Directives

12:00 Lunch

1:00 Workshop to Identify Requirements for Auditing

• Work groups of max five will each review three of seven generic approvals (EPEA, WA & PLA), sample-select key requirements for audit, and define the required audit team qualifications

2:45 Refreshments and Networking

3:00 Workshop Continued

• Each work group spokesperson will report to the forum, and with subsequent Q&As

4:30 Adjournment

Day II

8:15 Welcome Back and Previous Day Summary

8:30 Audit Planning and Execution

• Regulatory agency approach (AENV and ERCB)
• Audit planning: seven major tasks, including scope, initial discoveries, team qualifications, and scheduling

10:00 Refreshments and Networking

10:15 Audit Planning and Execution Continued

• Execution: desk top review, facility field audit, findings assessment, and report preparation

11:15 Questions and Answers on Audit Planning and Execution

12:00 Lunch

1:00 Workshop to Prepare Mini Audit Plans

• Same work groups of max five will each revisit previous day findings and generic approvals to prepare a mini audit plan (three major tasks; five sub-tasks)

2:30 Refreshments and Networking

2:45 Workshop Continued

• Each work group spokesperson will report to the forum, and with subsequent Q&As
• Workshop evaluation sharing

Questions and Answers and Feedback to Participants on Achievement of Learning Outcomes

4:30 Adjournment

Faculty

Kurt Hansen, P. Eng., President of Green Inc., has 37 years of environmental engineering experience related to the oil sands industry. During the 1970s, Kurt designed sewer and drainage facilities for an oil sands facility and he compiled a regulatory permitting compliance manual regarding Alberta, Saskatchewan and Canadian federal environmental requirements for a proposed heavy oil upgrading facility in the Lloydminster area. Since then, he has been the contributor, principal scientific investigator and project manager in about 40 oil sands projects (among about ten different oil sands facility proponents and operators) related to all aspects of permitting, impact assessments, monitoring program planning, performance and auditing, and waste management aspects. He has also served oil sands operators on regional and internal committees (Regional Air Quality Coordinating Committee - 1996 & 1997; and Suncor Odour Task Force - 2010). He has published and presented about 20 documents related to wastewater treatment, emission control technology, emission control device testing, hazardous waste incinerator testing, waste management, and odour modelling. Kurt received his M.Sc., Civil & Environmental Engineering at the Technical University of Denmark in 1974. He was an Alberta Environment permitting officer during 1977 & 1978.

Additional Details

Pre-Requisites

Certificates offered

1.2 CEU / 12 PDH

Cancellation Policy

To withdraw from a course, you must send a request, in writing, with the official receipt to our office. Fifteen or more business days in advance: full refund less $50.00 administration charge. Five to fifteen business days in advance: non-refundable credit of equal value for any future EPIC seminar within one year. Credits are transferable within your organization. In case of an unexpected event occurring after this time, you may send someone else to take your place without any additional cost.

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Would have liked more interactive problem solving.

Reviewed by Allen A. 2011