Danielle Smith, premier of polluted and frac’d to hell Alberta (fast becoming bankrupt by the oil, gas, bitumen, coal and frac industry and politicians and AER intentionally letting companies walk from clean-up), puts her pal, fascist Dave Yager on AER board, in essence, puts herself on the board (to spy on it and I expect to make it quickly approve billionaire Gina Reinhart’s water and Grassy Mountain destroying coal mine). Creepily corrupt as all fuck.
There is no “refresh” of the AER, it remains as criminal and vile as ever. It is after all, the thieving, abusive polluting oil and gas industry’s self regulator. Like father, like son.
Alberta gov’t always puts industry CEOs and gov’t buddies on boards and at the top. And NDP is just as corrupt when it comes to AER and the energy industry. A few examples below:
Albertans dutifully vote for this corruption and enabling of grand theft of our water, and energy resources, and decades of companies knowingly poisoning us and our loved ones with cancer-causing, brain and life destroying pollution.
2024: “Fires per 100,000 vehicles sold
- EVs: 25 fires
- Petrol/diesel: 1,530 fires
- Hybrid: 3,475 fires”
Methane Mad Man!@vivarioarriba
The oil lobby is stopping us. Short answer.Yes, precisely. One of them is Big Oil ‘n Coal Dildo Danielle Smith and the TBA Evangelicals that slithered her into power and thus control her, the Dildo’s polluter pal, the yäger bomb (Dave Yager), and the corrupt polluter-enablers at the AER and in UCP, stupidity and the fucker truckers, on and on and on.
“Of course I’m going to take advice from CEOs. Who else would I take advice from?”
Brian Jean, AB Energy Minister, to Parliamentary Committee:
“I think [the AER] do good enforcement and the industry tells me so”
Brian Jean is just copying what all energy ministers in Alberta say (likely as ordered to by Herr Harper and the oil and gas industry. And Dildo Danielle is just spewing what Premiers always say.
Here’s what the NDP energy minister said about the no duty of care, legally immune, charter violating, lying bully:
Nagwan Al-Guneid@NagwanYYC:
1/ The UCP appointed Mr. Yager to the AER board – quietly on a Friday afternoon.
I questioned the energy minister [Alberta’s lyin’ Brian Jean] on addressing liabilities and reforming the AER, but he somehow recommended Mr. Yager’s book instead of answering why the industry closure schedule was erased #ableg
2/ The full exchange is here during budget estimates for the energy and minerals ministry:
Watch: https://assemblyonline.assembly.ab.ca/Harmony/en/PowerBrowser/PowerBrowserV2/20240321/-1/18110
FrEmpireAA@frempireak:L
[Brian Jean] didn’t answer any of your questions.
Maybe he should read that book again.
@PamMcKinnonCoco:
He sure likes the AER!!!
Sultan of Spin@AtheistCyclist1:
AER did a great job covering up Imperial’s tailings leaks. Awesome job!
MartinG@MartinGrasdal:
By appointing David Yager to the AER, DS provides a master class in governance malpractice by demonstrating how to combine corruption with regulatory capture in a single action.
***
Hugh Latta@bud_latta:
Well, @ABDanielleSmith has thrown up bunch of red tape traps to squelch wind and solar in Alberta, so there’s one…
Beatsie1@Beatsie1:
Alberta is such a joke now that Smith & Parker rule.
docleslie@docleslie:
There’s a long line of folks stopping us, but Danielle Smith is at the front of it.
Mark Huemmert@MarkHuemmert:
Have ya heard of this government that is operating out of that backwoods hillbilly state known as Alberta? They suck!
John Vaillant@JohnVaillant:
This quote has really been resonating lately:
“People of privilege will risk their complete destruction rather than surrender any material part of their advantage.”
— John Kenneth Galbraith
Ryan Katz-Rosene, PhD@ryankatzrosene:
2023 was by far the most destructive wildfire season on record in Canada.
While it’s still too early to say how the rest of this year’s wildfire season will play out, the total burn area so far in 2024 is 20X what it was by this time last year.And, the drought is much much worse this year
***
MartinG@MartinGrasdal April 27, 2024:
[Dave Yager and Danielle Smith’s] mutual back rubbing grift has been going on for some time, since at least the advent of the Wildrose Party and Yager’s support for DS as leader in an effort to undermine the royalty framework developed by the Stelmach gov’t. We are a petro state.
Danielle SmithDave YagerEd StelmachWildrose Alliance
yäger bomb by Dave Cournoyer, November 12, 2009
Earlier this week, Danielle Smith announced that a task force co-chaired by David Yager and David Gray would develop an energy platform for the Wildrose Alliance. In April 2009, Yager and a group of oil and gas sector executives penned a fundraising letter for the Wildrose Alliance which lamented the plight of Alberta’s oil and gas sector under the oppression of the new resource royalty framework. In the letter, the executives pledged their allegiance to the Wildrose Alliance. (PDF of the Fundraising Letter)
Watching the direction Alberta has taken since Stelmach became leader of the Tory party leaves us to conclude that the ultimate success of our industry is now political. Only when the government of Alberta supports and trusts its most important industry – oil and gas – will Alberta’s future be truly secure.
Therefor, we have joined a group of like-minded oilfield service and junior oil and gas executives in supporting the Wildrose Alliance Party of Alberta to help it become the future government of this province.
The Progressive Conservative Party saw a decrease in the amount of donations they were receiving from the oil and gas sector after the introduction of the new resource royalty framework, and it is well known that many of these companies began throwing their financial support to other parties.
In her acceptance speech, the newly selected Wildrose Alliance leader declared that:
“People are looking for a party to step up and represent their interests, not the backroom lobbyists and political cronies”
It would not make sense to criticize a party leader for appointing supporters to internal policy advisor positions, but Yager’s appointment brings Smith’s statement into question. While this would not be a big issue if the party had not experienced significant gains in support, I am curious about how much money Yager and the group of executives listed on the April 2009 fundraising letter invested in Smith’s leadership campaign? With Smith refusing to publicly release the list of donors who financed her campaign it is unlikely that Albertans will find out.
It is probable that many of these donors will contribute to the Wildrose Alliance now that Smith is the leader, but it will be another four or five months before the Albertans will be privy to the names of those of donors. According to the Election Finances and Contributions Disclosure Act, annual financial statements from political parties must be filed with Elections Alberta on or before March 31.
Cougsta, Chud Blocker@cougsta:
There’s not gonna be much left of Alberta by the time we punt the UCP. If you think the infrastructure deficit Klein saddled us with was bad, you ain’t gonna like the results of DaniDimBulb’s grift.
We will need a sales tax to fix the damage but too many Albertans refuse to understand that.
Nigel Bankes @NdbYyc1305:
Last week the UCP govt made 2 moves to centralize power in DS’s office.
First, Bill 20, gives DS massive authority over municipal govts.
Second, DS appointed her BFF and chief energy policy advisor to the some-time arms length energy regulator (the AER) to do her bidding. #ableg
While the first got lots of attention (and rightly so) the second slipped under the radar of a late Friday afternoon press release and Order in Council.
There’s a pattern here.
Remember the revocation of the coal policy? Friday before a long w/e.
The centralization of power in DS’s office continues with the appointment of DS’s personal messenger David Yager to the board of the AER.
Any fig leaf pretence that the AER is an arms length regulator is now gone.
As the press relase bio states Yager served as as chair of the Premier’s Advisory Council on Alberta’s Energy Future. That council’s report has never been made public.
Yager is also a personal friend of Smith and a proponent of RStar.RStar is industry’s baby project for politicians to steal at minimum, $20Billion from Albertans to mitigate the mess decades if $billion-profit raping by corporations that refuse to clean up (legally required), and which AER refuses to hold them to account by continuing to give negligent companies more and more new permits which result in those negligent companies leaving more and more devastation behind for the citizenry to clean up. I expect it’ll end up being 3-4 times more than $20Billion and is why Big Oil Dildo Danielle is trying to steal the Pensions (CPP) of more than half of Canadians). Rural Albertans, who control the vote in the province, are the most arrogant, yet stupidest, selfish, cruel, harmful humans I know.
Varcoe’s Herald article makes Yager’s job as DS messenger perfectly clear: “It is basically to just be there for the orientation and transition process and then go on to my next assignment,” he said. “I asked to go on the board …
Yager will join Gary Leach on the AER board (Leach is a former president of The Explorers and Producers Association of Canada (EPAC)) to ensure that the AER does the bidding of small E & P, the source of Smith’s financial support.
Duane Bratt@DuaneBratt:
With so much going on, I missed this. Lets repeat. To understand the UCP government under Smith, you need to know who was involved with the Wildrose Party back in the day.
Refreshed AER board to help lead Alberta’s energy evolution Gah! Most stupid press release title I’ve ever read. “Refreshed” AER board and chair will enable the same AER and industry crimes and more, and worse, puts Dildo Danielle on the board via Yager. Press Release by UCP, April 26, 2024
To enhance competitiveness and strengthen the province’s position as an energy leaderha ha ha ha, Alberta’s energy, known globally as the world’s dirtiest!, Alberta’s government is restructuring the Alberta Energy Regulator’s board of directors.
On this page:
Four new directors with decades of industry experience have been appointed to the Alberta Energy Regulator’s (AER) board of directors. The new members will support the board’s work to enhance the global reputation of the AER in the oil and gas industry and the regulatory sector.Jesus Fucking Christ! Who gives a shit about reputations when earth’s livability is fast dying because of fossil fuel driven climate chaos? When thousands of Albertans live poisoned by the oil, gas and coal industry, with AER giving no fucks about anything but their beloved rubber stamper, egos, lies, propaganda, and more money and more escape from accountability and escape from all liabilities (to be hung onto Canadians or Albertans via RStar) for the rich?
David Goldie, the current board chair will continue to serve in the role until Sept. 1, to support the transition of one of the new directors into the chair position. With these appointments, the board will consist of eight members (one non-voting), including the chair.
“As the energy industry evolves, it’s important that regulatory processes keep pace. This requires the AER to have strong governance and a fresh perspective to carry out its mandate. The new directors all have strong technical subject matter expertise in important elements of the oil and gas, environment and regulatory sectors. They will help the AER enhance its reputation as an independent technical regulator. I also want to thank the outgoing board members for their valuable service to Albertans. They helped right the ship at the AER during a particularly complex time, and their efforts and dedication are to be lauded.” Brian Jean, Minister of Energy and Minerals
“As Alberta’s regulator, the AER plays an important role in
protectingresponsible
“I am excited about the opportunity to help the AER further its reputation as a
world-leadingregulator that promotesresponsibleourprotecting
“It’s been a privilege to
serve
The newly appointed board members will support AER’s goal of continuousprofit-raping, money laundering, and deregulation improvement, while also helping ensure industry avoidspublic and environmental protections. They will help provide the certainty required by industry to responsibly develop Alberta’s resources during a period of increasing complexity(Aka, earth’s livable climate, as we knew it, ending and causing horrific extremes in storms, winds, wildfires, droughts, famine, toxicity, disease and much much worse). These improvements will help attract more investment and createif not for the industry’s greed and incessant automation and layoffs, might have createdgood jobs in the province.
Quick facts
- The Alberta Energy Regulator’s mandate is to provide for the efficient, safe, orderly and environmentally responsible development of energy and mineral resources in Alberta through their regulatory activities.
- The new appointments include Duncan Au, Carey Arnett and Theresa Watson, each appointed for a five-year term, and David Yager appointed for a two-year term. Current directors Corrina Bryson, Gary Leach and Allison Rippin Armstrong will remain on the board, with David Goldie continuing as chair until Aug. 31. Duncan Au will take over as chair on Sept. 1.
New board member biographies:
Mr. Duncan Au (incoming chair effective September 1, 2024; will serve as a board director until August 31, 2024oh excellent, he’s going to work backwards! That’ll for sure please the industry that pays AER’s way)
- Mr. Au is a Fellow of Chartered Professional Accountants and Chartered Financial Analyst with more than 30 years of corporate finance and energy services experience.
- He is the former president and CEO of CWC Energy Services Corp. and has a deep understanding of the recent Site Rehabilitation Program, oilfield services and large organization efficiencies.Aka, make the citizenry pay for our pollution and decades of profit-raping devastation companies do not want to clean up and refuse to. Industry is so grateful to AER and UCP for enabling our law violations, decade after decade after decade and look forward to decades more such abuses, if our pollution doesn’t destroy life on earth first.
- Mr. Au has also served on the Board of the Canadian Association of Energy Contractors (CAOEC), Energy Services Association of Canada (Enserva, formerly PSAC), Calgary Economic Development, and was on the Board of Governors for the Canadian Energy Executive Association (CEEA).
Ms. Carey Arnett
- Ms. Arnett has more than 20 years of management experience in the energy sector.
- She is the former president & CEO of pipeline construction firm, Arnett & Burgess Pipeliners Ltd. (now Arnett & Burgess Energy Services), which has operated in Alberta since 1957.
- Ms. Arnett was chair of the Canadian Energy Pipeline Association Foundation and president of the Calgary Petroleum Club.
- She possesses extensive knowledge and experience in oilfield services, pipeline construction and pipeline integrity and decommissioning.
Ms. Theresa Watson
- Ms. Watson has more than 30 years of experience in the energy sector as a professional engineer. She also has a law degree and has published legal research in the area of environmental liability.
- She previously served as a board member of the Energy Resources Conservation Board (ERCB) from 2009 to 2013, the predecessor of the Alberta Energy Regulator.
- Ms. Watson previously served on the council of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta (APEGA).
- She is an expert in wellbore integrity, well abandonment, reclamation and liability.
Mr. David Yager (non-voting)
- Mr. Yager has more than 50 years experience in the upstream oil and gas industrymost notable of his career is his shrewd propaganda that has exquisitely conned Albertans and has been a longtime writer, commentator and energy policy analyst.
- He was the founder, executive officer and director of three publicly traded oilfield service companies specializing in wellbore construction, completion, remediation, abandonment, production optimization, regulatory compliance and the physical protection of workers, assets and the community.
- He served as chair of the Premier’s Advisory Council on Alberta’s Energy Future and chair of the Petroleum Services Association of Canada (Enserva, formerly PSAC).
Province to appoint new chair, three other board members to AER amid stormy times for regulator, As the AER takes on new and expanding areas of oversight and continues to face the daunting issue surrounding the cleanup of Alberta’s aging wells, a hard look at its capacity will be required by Chris Varcoe, April 26, 2024, Calgary Herald
The Alberta Energy Regulator, an agency at the centre of sweeping industry change??? Clinging desperately to the cave more like — and frequent turmoil — is about to add four new members to the board, with longtime industry veteran Duncan Au set to become its chair later this summer.
The UCP government will also appoint three other board members with a long history working in the sector, including the premier’s new special adviser, David Yager, who recently completed a review of the AER — and his appointment is likely to raise eyebrows.For sure! It’s as corrupt and fascist as Hades
The other new members include Theresa Watson, a professional engineer who previously served as a board member with the predecessor Energy Resources Conversation Board last decade, and Carey Arnett, previous CEO of pipeline construction business Arnett & Burgess Pipeliners.
Au, previously the chief executive of Calgary-based CWC Energy Services Corp. before its acquisition by Precision Drilling last year, said the AER is at the forefront of an evolving energy landscape.Ha! That tells us he’s no good, except for industry rape & pillage & profits
As the AER takes on new and expanding areas of oversight — such as the development of lithium, geothermal, and carbon capture and storage — and continues to face the daunting issue surrounding the AER aiding and abetting industry’s legal avoidance ofclean-up of Alberta’s aging profit-raped and frac’d and refrac’d and refrac’d horrifically methane and ethane leakingwells, a hard look at its capacity will be required.“Hard look?” To me that’s industry lingo for making UCP gov’t steal more money from already financially struggling Albertans while bullying (they call it lobbying) the feds to steal more $billions from already financially struggling Canadians, AND force them to pay for all of industry’s negligent “aging” and abandoned (code for walk from clean-up, notably the badlly frac’d and leaking) wells, and steal the pensions of more than half of Canadians to give to polluters.
“The AER has had a lot of things put onto their plate,” Au, who is a chartered professional accountant, said in an interview.Poor corrupt crime-enabling Charter-violating babies -these earth’s livability destroying fuckers get zip sympathy from me. If they spent more time regulating instead of rubber stamping projects that ought never be permitted, and if they held law violating companies accountable, they’d have nice sparkly clean plates.
“You need to have the right types of peoplecorrupt and malleable as fuck to understand what those project proponents are looking to doaka break the law, again and again and again, and poison communities, water, air, land, and the atmosphere while hanging the citizenry and future with our endless greed-driven crimes That’s one of the things we’re going to need to take a look at and say, ‘Do we have the right people at the AER’ . . . so we can make decisions on a timely basisapprove bad projects, immediately, no red tape, no review, just lots of cotton candy and do what the regulator is supposed to do for all Albertans.”Fuck us, and our kids, and their kids, and their kids and other species, and destroy Alberta’s drinking water and soils (by dumping industry’s toxic radioactive waste on crop and grasslands, even in protected areas) needed to produce food
The AER has grappled with a series of big challenges in the past decade, such as the ongoing development and oversight of the oilsands, the reclamation of thousands of inactive wells — and growing liability concerns surrounding them — and even helping municipalities deal with the non-payment of property taxes by energy companies.WOW, the generosity of the AER blinds my eyes. Who knew AER had such grand hearts? This guy is cream of the crop propagandist, just what ignorant, believe everything rural Albertans need. He’ll be way better the Encana’s ex VP liar Gerard Protti.
The sector is under pressure to decarbonize, and the widespread deployment of carbon capture, utilization and storage technology Which AER, especially returning leak expert, Theresa Watson and industry know damn well does not work; they are using it as a con job to keep escalating industry’s pollution and worse, steal from Albertans to pay for it – $billions of dollars have already been wasted on itis advancing in the province.
The AER has also been in the middle of its own controversies over the years, including Alberta’s ethics commissioner finding late last decade that its former CEO breached the Conflict of Interest Act, and the removal of the previous board of directors by the UCP government in 2019.Why no reporting, yet again, of AER’s spy scandal (when it was ERCB)? Cover-up Calgary Herald, always to the rescue of the filthy corrupt and cruelly abusive AER and whatever it was called before.
The regulator also saw about 200 jobs cut during a reorganization process the following year.
More recently, the regulator’s shortcomingsFFS! AER intentionally did NOT communicate. AER hid the spill and resulting groundwater contamination, they intentionally kept it from the harmed community, like they always do, like they did when Encana illegally frac’d the aquifers in my community in 2004, and then spent years harassing me, and lying about me, and violating my rights to aid criminal polluter Encana in communicating with Indigenous communities — after the AER learned of seepage and a spill of industrial wastewater at the Kearl oilsands mine — prompted current CEO Laurie Pushor to apologize at a parliamentary committee hearing a year ago.Hahahaaha. He only apologized under duress. What a bunch of fucking lying cowards you are at AER, along with the politicians, propagandists like Yager, and reporters helping harm Alberta and her people, waters, lands, air, fish, birds and wildlife.
In November, Chief Allan Adam of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation called for the regulator to be overhauled, and it later launched a lawsuit against the regulator.
A review of the organization was conducted last year by Yager, who in March took on the contract role of special adviser to the premier in executive council.Sorry you and he do not impress me. Yager’s just another polluter-enabling circle jerker, along with the rest of the corrupt bunch, he’ll fit right in.
The AER review determined the board needed more technical expertise, he said, noting the regulator has been handed more issues over the years.What a fucker. Every piece of shit happening at AER is AER’s own making.
“It’s just been, let’s give them more things to do with finite resources,” Yager said.
“The easy change to make is to add some more technically based board members with a lot of industry experience to get things done. The question will be . . . do we do fewer things, or do we add capacity? They want to destroy all of what’s left of Alberta that isn’t already contaminated, before life on earth ends, and steal as many $billions from Albertans as fast as possible to give huge bonuses to the rich foreigner buddies of UCP/TBA that slithered Dildo Danielle into power.And those are the issues that we’ll deal with as a group.”
Yager is a former oilfield services company executive, a one-time chair of the Petroleum Services Association of Canada, writer, and recent chair of the premier’s advisory council on Alberta’s energy future.
His appointment is sure to attract attention and criticism — he was the Wildrose Party president at one time — but Yager stressed he will be a non-voting board member, appointed for a two-year term, instead of the usual five-year period.
“It is basically to just be there for the orientation and transition process and then go on to my next assignment,” he said.No big bucks via hidden bonuses offshore to reward him for his serving UCP and a life and water destroying industry up to its ass in greed, secrets and unlawfulness?
“I asked to go on the board . . . so I can be a glorified fascist, spy for Dildo Danielle and fill my egowork directly with the new board and the old board and the organization to see if I could help.”
Yager said his job in government will be to work with multiple groups and government departments on complex files across multiple industries, noting he won’t be paid to be on the AER board.Mighty fascist to mingle gov’t with industry.
fascism: A philosophy or system of government that advocates or excercises a dictatorship of the extreme right, typically through the merger of state and business leadership, together with an ideology of belligerent nationalism.
Photo of 1967 American Heritage Dictionary definition of fascism. Page 477.
Note: This definition was later changed to keep fascists happy. Note how they took “business leadership” out:
Neil McCrankhe was in charge when the EUB broke the law and hired PIs to spy on innocent Albertans (and made the citizenry pay the PIs invoice!); he’s also the charter-violating fucker that kept me banished from energy regulation even though Encana was the criminal (had illegally frac’d Rosebud’s aquifers, which the EUB knew at the time), not me, and refused to make it right. He owes me a massive public apology which I know he does not have the courage to provide. I FOIPed EUB for the regulator’s and McCrank’s records about me. McWank is what I call him, he’s dirty as they come., who chaired Alberta’s Energy Resources Conservation Board from 1998 until 2007Incorrect. McWank chaired the Alberta Energy and Utilities Board (EUB) those years, and left in shame when the gov’t was forced to try to clean up after the board’s vulgar spy scandal, changing it to the ERCB to try to hide the grime, said it makes sense to have technical expertise at the AER at all levels.
A little dirty EUB background:
2005: Under Chair McCrank, EUB banished me, in writing, and judged me to be a criminal without a trial or any evidence, violating my charter rights. They took their banishment of me so seriously, they refused my registered mail (envelope above), wherein I requested clarification and to disclose me which laws they used to banish me. It arrived in my mail box day this hit Front Page of the Edmonton Journal:
December 13, 2005: Edmonton Journal Front Page
2006 Quote from Rosebud community-wide drinking water contamination article (after Encana illegally frac’d the community’s drinking water aquifers)
Slide from Ernst presentations
2006: EUB was caught breaking the law and spied on innocent Albertans. Vulgar to the extreme. Nothing’s improved since, not even with McCrank gone.
2007 Cartoon above from last page of retired Justice Perras’ report on the EUB’s “repulsive” spying scandal
However, McCrank also said he’s not seen a member of executive council have a board role in the past, even a non-voting position.
“The board has to be independent of the political environment, so it can balance the decisions between the industry, the public and government,” Pfffft! Alberta’s energy regulator has never been “independent.” said McCrank.
“This is the first time I have heard of this concept. And I’m not saying it’s a problem, but I hope they thought it through.”No such thing in UCP or TBA
With the pending appointment of the new board members, several board members have recently left. Current chair David Goldie announced this month that he will step down this fall after almost five years in the post.
Three other board members — Gary Leach, Allison Rippin Armstrong and Corrina Bryson — will remain in their roles.
Comments/Tweets:
Running to be Prime Minister of Canada@IAMSMRT1:
The AER is already basically run by oil and gas companies so the fascist D Smith appoints 3 more oil and gas people to the board. Another reminder that elections have consequences.
Ken Walker:
now let’s get started stripping the eastern slopes so we can start the open pit mining of coal before another judge orders the release of the docs.
Mari Sali:
The situation in Alberta stinks. The puppeteer has converted elected MLAs and staff in several ministries into zombies. The puppet master acts like it owns the public’s resources, and the people, who are the actual owners, have willingly let them by succumbing to the false narrative of perpetual low-cost wealth creation and economic power forever.
The day of reckoning is just around the corner.
Ryan Robinson:
The AER is an industry front group actively working tobully and try to silence harmed Albertans that dare ask for regulation, and violate their charter rights with impunity (thanks to Steve Harper’s lying supreme court of Canada) if not silenced hide pollution, excuse tax avoidance, and enable wells to be orphaned and cleaned up tax money. I don’t trust the UCP to act in Albertans interests.
Ryan Robinson:
The oil industry demanded Berman be on the panel to give it credibility. It’s on public record. The right ignores reality to push lies. It’s the only way they win
Dwayne Wladyka:
In 2005, Peter Lougheed took a chopper ride over Fort McMurray. He said that the oilsands weren’t being developed in a responsible manner. He was right. Peter Lougheed had oil industry experience, prior to becoming a politician, and he knew that oil booms would not be around for an eternity. He was right. Peter Lougheed also favored responsible industry development, and also supported protecting the environment. That’s why he enacted the 1976 Coal Policy, which the UCP want to abolish.
David Thompson:
Why have a regulator if the regulator is ging to be stacked with UCP appointed industry shills or is that the ultimate UCP goal, to do away with all energy regulation and unleash the forces of irresponsible profiteering with no concern for environmental protection?Alberta gov’ts (including NDP), AER/ERCB/EUB/ERCB before it was EUB, Alberta Environment (AEP before that), industry haven’t given a shit about drinking water, groundwater, surface water, environment, air, atmosphere, worker and or public safely or health for decades. They only care about money, ego, and “best” practices to cover-up all their crimes and enabling of crimes. Regs and laws are specially written by industry lawyers to load in escape hatches and loopholes to maximize profit-raping, escape from clean up, and stealing from Albertans. Judges are specially picked (e.g. all by Steve Harper Klan – except for 2 supreme court judges – for my court case, and during my case, flagrantly dirtily shuffled around, up and down and back and forth by Harper) to keep the crimes going and profits rolling out of Alberta.
Bob Loblaw:
So the guy who got the political appointment to evaluate the regulator gets assigned to the board, this is called corruption. But it’s so on brand for this government.And every gov’t before it.
David Mulroney:
Ridiculous group of conservative insiders who will only have one purpose, rubber stamp crony pay off policy. Alberta has been very poorly served by a series of these crony groups over many decades and the only way to rid ourselves of the rot is to not vote the rot in. It will take a couple of election cycles to do it but its the only way to save what is left of what could be a beautiful province.
The one thing that is right from the article is there dam well should be criticism and even outrage over the board by every Albertan.
… There is and never has been a good reason to be such poor stewards of the land. Prosperity for Albertans could have gone hand in hand with responsible development but instead its been wealth for a select few, pittance for most AlbertansAnd horrific harms and pollution for most rural landowners and communities living, drinking and breathing industry’s unregulated toxic spews as in Encana’s waste dumping at Rosebud in photo below while groups like the ucp fight openness and honesty in development and government.
2012: Encana waste dumped at Rosebud, on cropland!
Refer also to, notably Neil McCrank’s spying scandal legacy at AER’s precursor, the EUB:
2004: McCrank was Chair: Encana illegally frac’d Rosebud’s drinking water aquifers, violating every law and regulation in Alberta to protect groundwater, with blessings, cover-up and fraud by AER (then EUB) and Alberta Environment. Fuckers, all of them.
2005: McCrank was Chair: AER (then EUB) banished me, secretly judged me a criminal without any evidence, no trial, no chance for me to hire lawyers and defend myself, with full blessings, cover-up and fraud, refuses and returns my mail asking for clarification. Fuckers.
2007: Snooping disgusts ex-judge, Energy Board eavesdropping ‘repulsive’
2007: EUB purge, Security unit scrapped, members fired for EUB spying scandal
2007: Examination of the Alberta Energy and Utilities Board Securities Measures by retired Justice DW Perras
2007: Spy scandal lands in lap of new boss
2007: EUB scraps security unit, Board-hired investigators spied on landowners
2007: Factors Affecting or Indicating Potential Wellbore Leakage (of course, no longer available at that link) by Theresa Watson (T.L. Watson and Associates Inc) and Stephan Bachu (Alberta Energy and Utilities Board), 2007 Presentation; SPE Paper 106817, 200
About 15% of vertical and 60% of deviated wells reported leaking.
Slides from the presentation:
SCVF = surface casing vent flow; GM = gas migration
That’s one hell of a lot of gas leaking wells (many frac’d wells are deviated)
2008: Slide from Bachu and Theresa Watson presentation:
2009: Theresa Watson becomes newest Board Member
2009
2013: Slides from Theresa Watson presentation:
Watson’s last slide of that presentation
2014: Meet ASSIST: Alberta’s very own Spy Agency, “Alberta Security and Strategic Intelligence Support Team;” Did ASSIST break into Carmen Langer’s home and steal his files?Did they break into mine?
2019: AER/ICORE/Jim Ellis Hanky Panky & Deregulation Tried to Go Global. Is CAPP et al making Ellis take the fall for Neil McCrank, EUB Boss (before it became AER)? McCrank authorized spying on innocent Albertans, **initiated spreading AER’s evil, lies & propaganda globally**, was boss when EUB violated Ernst’s charter rights and refused to make it right. “I wonder what’s worse for the average Albertan…. A vicious STD, or the AER? It’s a toss up.”See, getting rid of charter violating, repulsive spy scandal McCrank did nothing to clean up the regulator, they just got worse. Encana-crime enabler Bev Yee appointed to the board didn’t clean it up either, of course not. Appointments to this dirty agency, just keep it dirty, or make it dirtier.
