DATE ISSUED: May 11, 2023

EFFECTIVE DATE: Immediately

The BC Energy Regulator (BCER) has been engaging with industry, practitioners, as well as Indigenous community representatives through the Treaty 8 Restoration Advisory Committee, since fall 2019, to introduce the concepts and principles for developing reclamation guidance in northeast B.C. On Jan. 7, 2020, the BCER issued an information update outlining the regulatory requirement to use ecologically suitable species to promote the restoration of wildlife habitat.

Restoration is an important aspect of reconciliation with Indigenous communities and supporting community wellbeing overall. Considering cultural interests, conservation, and protection of treaty rights, using Indigenous Knowledge within ecological restoration is central to this guideline. As engagement continues on reclamation practices and restoration outcomes in the context of ecologically suitable species in northeast B.C., the BCER has revised the guideline, available here.

Successful reclamation of an oil and gas disturbance is considered when a suitably diverse plant community is established that is ecologically appropriate to existing and future site conditions, surrounding ecological situations and land uses. The term ecologically suitable species is defined as those vegetation species which are ecologically relevant to the surrounding conditions and do not hinder the benefits of natural revegetation processes.

PURPOSE OF THE GUIDANCE

The guideline is intended to introduce expectations for meeting the intent of section 19 of the Environmental Protection Management Regulation (EPMR) as part of the Certificate of Restoration (COR) Part 2 application process. It provides the oil and gas sector reclamation guidance related to planning, implementing, and performance reporting of soil and vegetation metrics for Crown forested land in northeast B.C.

The Ecological Suitable Species Guideline (ESSG) is not a prescriptive manual for planning and implementing restoration. Rather, it is a guideline for reclamation practitioners to use when evaluating reclamation options to apply on a specific restoration area, providing site preparation and revegetation techniques that support the establishment of ecologically suitable species and the restoration of Treaty Rights. The guideline clarifies the BCER’s minimum expectations around achieving short-term reclamation objectives (i.e. performance metrics) for longer-term ecological restoration outcomes.

In summary, the objectives of the ESSG are to:

1. Promote reclamation practices that support the establishment of ecologically suitable species and appropriate ecological trajectories being achieved.
2. Develop clear short-term (two+ years) reclamation objectives (performance metrics) that increase the likelihood of achieving longer-term (15+ years) ecological objectives.
3. Provide clarity for assessing and reporting performance metrics for site closure to comply with the intent of section 19 of the EPMR in the context of COR Part 2 applications on Crown forested land.
4. Provide strategic level engagement avenues to support the integration of Indigenous Knowledge and continuous practice improvements into this guideline.

If you have any questions regarding this Technical Update, please contact:
Katelyn White
Biologist
BC Energy Regulator
katelyn.white@bc-er.ca
250-794-5334