April 9, 2024: Ex Encana/Cenovus VP David Goldie said he’s quitting AER.
Which Encana/Ovintiv/Cenovus (Encana spawn) VP will be made next board chair?
Or will TBA-led, extreme polluter friendly, Premier Danielle Smith make Australian billionaire coal baroness Gina Rienhart next AER chair so she can lead the corporate rape and pillage of Alberta as her greed and callous destroys Grassy Mountain and the drinking water for millions of Canadians?
Chair of Alberta Energy Regulator says he’s stepping down in September by The Canadian Press, April 9, 2024, Global News
The board chair of the Alberta Energy Regulator says he’s stepping down from the job in September.
David Goldie says it’s a good time to take on new challenges as he approaches the five-year mark at the watchdog deregulating pollution & destruction enabling agency.
Goldie joined the AER in 2019 when the board was given the mandate to reform the organization’s governance and make it more streamlined.Code for deregulate (see more on this below, looks like Encana/Ovintiv got their man to deregulate clean-up to get what they wanted – get away with breaking the law, not cleaning up, decade after decade after decade)
He says he’s satisfied withthe deregulationwhere the regulator is now and that it’s on a good deregulating polluting devastating path forward.
The AER has been criticized for how it informed the public and local First Nations about the release of millions of litres of oilsands wastewater from Imperial Oil’s Kearl mine in northern Alberta in 2022.
A third-party report the agency commissioned determined the regulator followed its rulesLies, secrecy and walk from clean-up rules?, but that those rules were significantly lacking.
After that report was released in September, Goldie said the Kearl situation was unusual because it wasn’t an emergency like a sudden pipeline break, but a seepage that happened over time.FFS, you law-violation enabling fucker. That’s actually worse than a sudden leak. You and yours at AER and Imperial knew that the Kearl leak was ongoing for a long time, polluting groundwater
He promised the regulator would be more proactive in the future aboutkeeping toxic secrets and lying to communicating with area residents.
“The bar has to move here,” he said.Ya, to below Hell, where you belong.
“A much larger range of incidents need to be reported. It’s not good enough anymore to say the operator is responsible and assume they’ve fulfilled their duty.”FFS! Do you hear your irresponsible corrupt self?
Jim Blackstock:
What’s going to be hitting the fan in the coming months???
April 9, 2024: Laurie Pushor on AER Board Chair Resignation
Today, our Board Chair, David Goldie Ex Encana and Cenovus VPadvised that he will step away from his role, effective September 1, 2024. David has been a very strong and capable support in helping guide us through the past four-plus years.
On a personal note, David has been great to work for and with – always with wise counsel, grace, and positive reinforcement.
We will miss his leadership and we look forward to working with him until September.
Laurie Pushor
AER President and Chief Executive Officer
“64% of Alberta wetlands no longer exist”
Image by Barb Ryan (made a few years ago – more wetlands have been destroyed since).
Board of Directors Copied from AER’s website April 9, 2024
We are led by a board of directors that are appointed by an Order in Council. The board is not involved in our day-to-day operations and decisions, but instead sets the general direction of our work. Together, the directors
- approve regulatory changes, and
- set performance expectations for our organization and our chief executive officer.
David Goldie
Board Chair
David Goldie is a director and independent consultant with over 35 years of experience in the energy industry.
In addition to being the chair of the board of directors, David Goldie is an ex-officio voting member on the board audit and finance committee, governance committee, human resources, health and safety committee, and regulatory review committee.
Since 2016, Mr. Goldie has led his own consultancy company, Orelian Consulting Ltd., and has supported energy companies in strategic decision-making using decision quality concepts. From 2002 to 2016, he worked as a Vice-President with Encana and then Cenovus in a variety of roles, including exploration, international business development, strategy and planning, refining and marketing, and operations. From 1997-2002 he worked at PanCanadian Petroleum in geophysical, economic analysis, and managerial roles. He began his career with Imperial Oil/Exxon as a geophysicist in Calgary and Houston from 1987-1997.
Mr. Goldie holds a B.Sc. in Geophysics from the University of Waterloo, a MBA from the University of Calgary, is a member of the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD) and holds the designation of ICD, Director (ICD.D.).
Tamarack Valley Energy buying Deltastream Energy for $1.425 billion, Tamarack Acquisition Corp. has been ordered to pay $80,000 by the Alberta Energy Regulator by Amanda Stephenson, The Canadian Press, Sept. 12, 2022
Tamarack Valley Energy Ltd. is buying Deltastream Energy Corp. for $1.425 billion, a move that the privately held Tamarack says solidifies its position as the largest producer in northern Alberta’s Clearwater heavy oil play.
In a news release Monday, Calgary-based Tamarack said it will pay $825 million in cash, $300 million in the form of a deferred acquisition payment and $300 million in equity comprised of about 80 million Tamarack shares, for Deltastream.
Deltastream, which is 85 per cent owned by ARC Financial, is a pure-play operator in the Clearwater _ one of North America’s newest oil plays which saw its first development in 2016.
The Clearwater is considered to be the most economic oil play in North America, with wells that pay out in less than six months at current oil prices, said Brian Schmidt, chief executive of Tamarack Valley.
“Deltastream brings scale and a leading economic development drilling inventory, comprised of high quality, long life assets with low sustaining capital requirements that enhance capital allocation flexibility,” Schmidt said in the release.
The acquisition will add about 23,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day of production in 2023, according to Tamarack.
In conjunction with the acquisition, Tamarack also said it will increase its monthly dividend by 25 per cent.
The company said it will pay 1.25 cents per share, up from a penny per share, starting with its November dividend, payable in December.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2022.
Calgary energy firm fined $80,000 over well-site water management, Tamarack pleaded guilty to one charge of failing to properly record its water use. Two other charges were withdrawn by Postmedia News, Oct 28, 2020, Calgary Herald
Calgary energy firm Tamarack Acquisition Corp. will pay an $80,000 fine after pleading guilty to one charge related to the removal of groundwater at a drilling site in central Alberta.
The company was first charged in March under the provincial Water Act for using water without the approval of the Alberta Energy Regulator and failing to properly monitor the use of water it was withdrawing for its operations near the village of Veteran between January 2017 and April 2018.
Tamarack pleaded guilty to one charge of failing to properly record its water use. Two other charges were withdrawn.
Tamarack is a subsidiary of Tamarack Valley Energy Ltd.
An agreed statement of facts posted on the AER website states Tamarack relied on past procedures and resources, including a third-party contractor, for water management after acquiring oil and gas assets around Veteran in January 2017. The company took steps to immediately address concerns and developed a “more robust” system for water use by September, it states.
The Alberta Energy Regulator said the drilling area, about 200 kilometres east of Red Deer, is home to diverse wetlands, waterfowl and wildlife.
“This region does not replenish water lost easily as most water introduced into the region comes from precipitation, few wetlands are connected via watercourses and groundwater recharges slowly,” according to an agreed statement of facts.
The penalty includes a $2,000 fine and $78,000 to be directed toward projects that educate landowners and other non-industry stakeholders on using water for energy development, the AER said.
Phillip Grimison:
It never ends and it won’t until the Albertan economy is utterly destroyed and we are all living in teepees, wearing bear skins and freezing our derrieres off during our “heating up” winters. How is it possible for a supposedly educated society to slowly destroy itself, willingly?
Greg Hooper to Phillip Grimison:
I’m sure the economy would work just fine if companies followed regulations designed to protect the public and public resources. Instead they spend their time trying to wiggle out of their responsibilities.
Also I want wifi in my teepee. Is that too much to ask?
Guilty plea lands Tamarack an $80 000 penalty Press Release by AER, Oct 26, 2020
Tamarack Acquisition Corp. has been ordered to pay an $80 000 penalty after pleading guilty in provincial court to one charge under the Water Act.While letting Encana/Ovintiv get away with violating the Water Act and other laws repeatedly, contaminating a community’s drinking water supply, then lying about it with AER lying about it too (eg telling press I am crazy, that nature did the frac’ing, that companies only frac far below drinking water supplies) and AER also lying about the supreme court of Canada’s ruling in Ernst vs AER, defaming me.
Tamarack received a temporary diversion licence from the AER to withdraw groundwater for well drilling operations near Veteran, Alberta, between January 2017 and April 2018.
As water was being withdrawn from the ground, Tamarack did not record how much water it was withdrawing. Instead, the company recorded this information after the fact, breaking a condition of the licence.Encana didn’t even bother applying for a licence to frac our drinking water aquifers and divert thousands of litres fresh water from them. I FOIPed for all the many licences/permits Encana received to divert water in my community for all its wells. There was none for diverting fresh water from the 5-14 even though the company posted on Alberta’s Groundwater Database it was intentionally perforating and frac’ing into fresh water zones. AER and Alberta Environment knew and did nothing to stop the company breaking the law, did nothing to protect ground water at Rosebud, did nothing to protect residents using that dangerous water, and worse, let the company continue lying and frac’ing above the base of groundwater protection during the years-long community-wide water contamination investigation by Alberta Environment, with AER and Alberta Innovates (then the research council) helping fraudulently (altering data and hiding data) cover-up the company’s crimes. Residents were living with extreme concentrations of methane and other gases (including nitrogen, which Encana intentionally injected into our aquifers; thick white smoke came off my water when freshly poured), in the water making it too dangerous to even use to flush toilets. Some resident’s water wells went dry after Encana’s law violations. Man-made chemicals used in drilling and or frac’ing were found in some water wells. Historic records for the area water wells, including mine, said “Gas Present: No.”
The Veteran area is home to many diverse wetlands, as well as birds and other wildlife. When making decisions on energy development, the AER ensures these wetlands are protected.Ya, sure. What a lie. My property has about a mile of meandering wetland on it, which I have worked for years to clean up and protect from humans constantly demanding to have access to damage with off-road vehicles and trucks, hunt and invade to take water for frac’ing (without my permission for the access to it, required by law) with no concern for the other species that need that habitat to survive. Encana and AER didn’t give a shit about the wetland on my property. They collaborated together to engage in fraud to alter noise data collected by Encana in response to community-wide noise complaints. AER knew Encana turned their noisiest compressor off during noise testing, illegally moving microphones, and other trickery. Instead of punishing Encana for repeatedly violating the Noise Control Directive, AER violated my charter rights, judged me a criminal in writing without a trial, without any evidence or due process, and sent bully lawyer Rick McKee after me, to try to intimidate me silent, etc. etc.
The penalty includes a fine of $2000; the remaining $78 000 will be directed to creative sentencing projects that educate landowners and other non-industry stakeholders which is beyond corrupt because law violating oil and gas companies then use these “punishments” to glorify to the public how fabulously generous they are “donating” to synergizing NGOs which then use that money to propagandize the public, and synergize the frac harmed into accepting more harms. Just gross abuse of the law to enable more pollution and destruction by industry for profit.on requirements companies must follow But not giant law violator Encana when using water for energy development.
The penalty follows charges that the AER laid against Tamarack earlier this year.
For more information, check out the agreed statement of facts and court order on our Compliance Dashboard.
The AER ensures the safe, efficient, orderly, and environmentally responsible development of hydrocarbon resources over their entire life cycle. This includes allocating and conserving water resources, managing public lands, and protecting the environment while providing economic benefits for all Albertans.
The above paragraph by AER needs a rewrite:
The Encana/Ovintiv run and controlled AER lies to harmed Albertans and the public, and allows extremely harmful and polluting developments of hydrocarbon resources over their entire life cycle nearly everywhere companies want. AER violates the charter rights of those speaking out publicly because the courts ruled AER is above all laws, including the charter. The courts also ruled AER owes no Albertan any duty of care. AER happily allows companies to permanently remove water from the hydrogeological cycle and vital wetlands to contaminate and frac with as much and where and how they please. AER even gives industry 10 year blanket approval water licences to permanently remove water Alberta is running out of, industry doesn’t even need to know where they’ll get that water from.
AER proudly allows companies to intentionally contaminate and permanently destroy Alberta’s water resources; we intentionally mismanage public lands and let companies make a mess everywhere, including on Crown lands, and eagerly deregulate regularly to let companies get away with their crimes.
AER does not protect the environment or health and safety of Albertans or workers, and we strive to make the rich richer, notably the rich from other countries, on the backs of ordinary Albertans and their homes and farms and their communities. We are proud of our corruption and bullying and terrorism of frac-harmed women.
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For more information, please contact:
Jordan Fitzgerald
Engagement & Communication
Email: email hidden; JavaScript is required
Media line: 1-855-474-6356
AERNR2020-09
AER lays charges against Tamarack Valley Energy News Release by AER March 30, 2020
For immediate release
The Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) has laid charges against Tamarack Valley Energy and its subsidiary for
- using water without AER approval,
- failing to monitor its water use, and
- failing to properly report its water use to the AER.
The Water Act charges are the result of an investigation into the company’s drilling and hydraulic fracturing operations near Veteran between January 2017 and April 2018.
To ensure Tamarack’s right to a fair prosecution, the AER cannot release further details. While AER violated my Charter rights, bullied me incessantly, lied about me to the public repeatedly, including in their 2012 court filing calling me a terrorist (without any evidence) by liar outside counsel Glenn Solomon, called me crazy which the media reported, interrogated me using McCarthy-like red-baiting (I was terrified), and played all kinds of other tricks on me trying to make me admit to crimes I had not committed so their bully lawyers could justify AER judging me a criminal (in writing) without any evidence. Tamarack’s first court appearance is scheduled for June 12, 2020, in Coronation.
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For more information, please contact:
email hidden; JavaScript is required
AER External Relations
Email: email hidden; JavaScript is required
Media line: 1-855-474-6356
AERNR2020-05
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202010-27 Tamarack Acquisition Corp. Prosecution Contravened a condition of a licence and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 142(1)(e) of the Water Act by AER Compliance Dashboard, 2020-10-23
Snap above taken April 5, 2024 from AER’s Compliance Dashboard
| Location: | Multiple locations. |
| Penalized $80 000. The includes a fine of $2 000, the remaining $78 000 will be directed to creative sentencing projects that will educate landowners and other non-industry stakeholders on requirements companies must follow when using water for energy development. In October 2020, Tamarack Acquisition Corp. was sentenced under the Water Act for contravening a term or condition of the approval, preliminary certificate, or licence by failing to comply with regulatory recording requirements. The sentencing order for $78,000, directed the AER to conduct a competitive bid process using established Government of Alberta processes. The project objective was to educate multiple stakeholders (including landowners, the public, and people otherwise not in the energy industry) about requirements and rules for water diversion and activities affecting aquatic environments in the context of energy development. The competition resulted in a contract being awarded to Collaboration Dynamics. This novel project, in partnership with 4H-Alberta, engaged young people to create educational material for water use including a poster on Temporary Diversion Licences, a detailed infographic of the requirements for Temporary Diversion Licences, and a video “Protected Water: Landowners’ Rights and Temporary Diversion Licenses”. The educational materials are now available on their web site at www.youthwatercouncil.com.Did AER, led by Encana VP, order Encana to attend the “learning” project to learn how to respect and heed the law, and stop harming Albertans, our water air farms communities and homes? I bet not. |
202010-27_AgreedStatementofFacts_Tamarack_2018-017.pdf
…
Wetlands and the Prairie Pothole Region
- The Veteran are is considered part of an ecologically diverse wetland region, known as the prairie pothole region, which stretches through the great plains of North America.
The region contains wetlands rich in plant and aquatic life that support globally significant populations of breeding waterfowl and other wildlife. This region does not replenish water lost easily as most water introduced into the region comes from precipitation, few wetlands are connected via water courses, and groundwater recharges slowly. In Alberta, the southern two thirds of the eastern half of the Province all roughly fall within this region. Given the area’s sensitivity, water resources in the Veteran area may be susceptible to the adverse effects of improper water diversion, and the Alberta government consequently carefully manages and protects the area. BULLSHIT. Rosebud is an even more sensitive and water scarce area than Veteran, yet AER, Alberta Environment and Alberta gov’t helped Encana repeatedly get away with violating the Water Act and other laws, tried to threaten and terrify me silent and stop me from speaking publicly about the company’s (and regulators’) crimes, and worked to cover-up that the company contaminated our drinking water supply with life threatening concentrations of methane, ethane, other hydrocarbons and man-made chemicals used in drilling, frac’ing and cementing.
Wetlands are important habitat for non human species, water purifiers and recharge aquifers.
Above is part of the wetland on my land that I’ve restored, and work hard to protect from invading humans, notably the many years frac’er Encana/Ovintiv and its frac contractor Trican tried taking the water (had I not stopped them, the company would have sucked it dry). The wetland is only accessible via private property, which allowed me the ability to tell Encana and Trican to stop stealing the water out of it.
…
202010-27_Collaboration Dynamics Water Act Education Project Study_Public March 2022.pdf
202010-27_Creative Sentencing Order_Tamarack_2018-017.pdf
202010-27_Submissions_Tamarack_2018-017.pdf
Refer also to:
2013: Appointment of Gerard Protti
2013: Energy lobbyist, Ex Encana VP Gerard Protti, appointed as Alberta’s new top energy regulator
2002:
