A Framework for Reclamation Certification Criteria and Indicators for Mineable Oil Sands

The reclamation goal for oil sands mines set by the Government of Alberta and stated in the Environmental Protection Enhancement Act (EPEA) approvals is “The reclaimed soils and landforms are capable of supporting a self-sustaining, locally common boreal forest, regardless of the end land use.” Currently there is no adequate set of decision criteria to evaluate when reclaimed oil sands mine landscapes have achieved the goal and are suitable for reclamation certification. The Government of Alberta must have the appropriate criteria so that decisions are consistent and the rational is transparent to stakeholders. For industry the absence of appropriate criteria introduces uncertainty as to whether reclamation efforts will produce results acceptable to the government within a reasonable period of time.
This report proposes a criteria and indicator (C&I) framework and recommendations for development of reclamation certification criteria for oil sands mines. The C&I framework proposed, portrayed in the diagram to the right, is based on a Goal – Objective – Criteria – Indicator – Standard – Method hierarchy. There can be multiple objectives to a goal, 
multiple criteria to an objective and multiple indicators to a criterion. The criterion determines what has to be met to qualify that the objective has been achieved. The indicator describes what specifically is measured to determine if the criterion has been met. The standard describes the regulatory target. The method sets a common procedure for measuring the indicator.