Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) Engagement: From Wells to Quarries to Pipelines
A project can have sound economics, solid engineering and a timeline that reflects a real market window. When the application reaches the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER), the regulator also looks at how well the proponent engaged the people the project affects. In our experience, proponents who build relationships before filing, raise and address concerns early and keep a clear record of that work put their applications in a stronger position.
Each AER directive sets out participant involvement requirements: who must receive information, how much time they have to respond and what the proponent must do with their concerns. The details differ by project type.
| Directive | Covers | Engagement Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| Directive 056 | Wells, pipelines and facilities | Distribute information packages, respond to questions and concerns, discuss alternatives and mitigation and seek confirmation of non-objection |
| Directive 091 | Rock-hosted minerals, such as silica and other metallic and industrial minerals | A participant involvement area of at least 1.5 km from the proposed permit boundary, information packages to residents, landowners, occupants, municipalities and others with an interest and at least 30 days to respond before the application is filed |
| Directive 090 | Brine-hosted minerals, such as lithium from brine | Wells, facilities and pipelines are licensed under Directive 056. Injection and enhanced recovery schemes add notification under Directive 065, within a radius of at least 1.6 km |
Sources: AER Directive 056 (October 2026), AER Directive 091, AER Directive 090 (February 2025).
What Effective Engagement Looks Like
Directive 056 asks for more than notification. It asks the proponent to close the loop with participants. When the application changes, when the project evolves or when a commitment cannot be met, the proponent goes back to the people affected and explains what changed.
In practice, that means a landowner's concern is addressed and the resolution is written down. A municipality worried about the cumulative effect of a quarry expansion is involved in shaping mitigation it can support. Questions about haul routes, water or reclamation get answers in plain language.
What Can Lead to More Review
- Objections from landowners, residents, municipalities or other operators that remain unresolved.
- Participant involvement records that are incomplete or hard to follow.
- Commitments made during consultation that were not followed through.
- Concerns about cumulative effects in areas with several projects underway.
When concerns remain unresolved, the AER can request more information or hold a hearing. Both add time to the schedule.
Mineral Projects Raise Longer-Term Questions
Alberta's growing mineral sector brings its own engagement considerations. Quarries and mines can operate for decades, so the people nearby are being asked to accept change that lasts.
- Long-term surface disturbance and visible changes to the landscape.
- Water management and effects on downstream users.
- Truck traffic along haul routes, including timing, routing and road maintenance.
- Reclamation plans that extend well past active operations.
- Cumulative effects where several mineral developments share a region.
Indigenous consultation runs on a separate track directed by the Aboriginal Consultation Office (ACO). Directive 091 notes that its participant involvement requirements are in addition to ACO consultation requirements, so proponents plan the two processes together.
We plan and deliver participant involvement programs, open houses and landowner engagement for energy and resource projects in Alberta.
Explore Stakeholder EngagementDocumentation That Shows the Work
The engagement record is how the AER sees the quality of the program. It is easiest to build from the first day of consultation.
| Question | What to Document |
|---|---|
| Who | Every required participant within the notification radius or participant involvement area, plus others who raised concerns |
| When | Dates of notice, meetings and follow-up, showing participants had the required time to respond |
| What | The project-specific information package and any updates |
| How | Concerns raised, alternatives and mitigation discussed and how the project responded |
| Outcome | Written confirmations of non-objection, or a record of good-faith efforts on concerns that remain open |
For mineral projects, the record also benefits from baseline environmental conditions, reclamation plans shaped by local input and long-term monitoring commitments.
Recent Regulatory Changes
Directive 091 is released, setting requirements for rock-hosted mineral development.
Specified Enactment Direction 004 takes effect, setting application requirements for AER-regulated pipelines that need approval under the Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act.
Revised Pipeline Rules take effect, clarifying language and aligning definitions with CSA Group pipeline standards.
An updated edition of Directive 091 is released.
New editions of the AER Rules of Practice allow people who support a project to file a statement of concern describing its benefits.
A new edition of Directive 056 takes effect. Participant involvement requirements are set out in section 3.
Sources: AER Directive 091, AER Bulletin 2025-24, AER Bulletin 2025-36, AER Bulletin 2026-22, AER Directive 056.
Requirements change, so an approach that worked on the last application may need adjusting. The change to statements of concern also means supportive landowners and businesses identified during engagement can now put their views on the record. Check the current version of each directive on the AER website before planning a program.
How We Support AER Engagement
- Map stakeholders starting from the notification requirements, then add others the project is likely to affect.
- Write information packages that meet regulatory requirements and that non-technical readers can follow, whether the topic is a well, a pipeline or a quarry.
- Plan and run open houses, landowner meetings and follow-up conversations.
- Keep the engagement record in a format that is ready for AER review.
- Keep dialogue going when project details change.
Data centre projects face a similar requirement. The power plants and substations that supply them go to the Alberta Utilities Commission, which requires a participant involvement program under AUC Rule 007. Our page on data centre engagement for proponents covers that process. Our post on writing for non-technical audiences has tips for information packages.
- Who is inside the participant involvement area, and who outside it has raised concerns?
- Has every participant received a project-specific information package with enough time to respond?
- Are concerns, responses and dates recorded in one place?
- Have we kept every commitment, and told participants when something changed?
- Which concerns remain open, and what have we done to resolve them?
Planning an AER application?
A discovery call is a simple way to talk through your project, the directive it falls under and the engagement it will need.
