Public Lands
Under Bulletin 2021-28, the AER worked closely with Alberta Environment and Parks (“AEP”) to create a more efficient process for issuing dispositions under the Public Lands Act that allow surface access to public land for energy related activities. The changes are as follows:
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Dispositions originally issued before September 10, 2010 are now designated “legacy”.
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For the renewal of legacy dispositions, sketch plans are now acceptable in lieu of survey plans for verification of location and footprint. Survey plans remain always acceptable.
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The existing AEP document Formal Disposition Renewal has been updated to incorporate the above.
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AEP has issued a new document, Legacy Public Lands Disposition Renewal Using Sketch, as well as a new webpage that outlines eligibility criteria and minimum standards for sketch plans and digital mapping.
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Manual 018: OneStop Public Lands Application Manual has been updated to include these changes.
Despite these changes, the AER still has the authority to require a survey plan at any time under section 23 of the Public Lands Act.
