OUR APPROACH

We approach land management with a long-term view, from project development through to operation and reclamation.  

Responsible environmental management includes promoting ecological stability, protecting vegetation, wildlife and fisheries, watercourses, and soil and air quality, as well as carefully considering and respecting the integrity of archeological sites and Indigenous traditional land uses.

Environmental risk prevention relies on having robust and effective Integrity Management Systems to minimize potential spills and other biodiversity-related disturbances.

Our environmental practices are facilitated using our Operational Excellence Management System (OEMS), which defines how we identify and mitigate potential risks, as well as achieve regulatory compliance.

Land management Proactive through asset lifecycles

Keyera takes a proactive and principled approach to land management practices through the life cycle of our facilities and pipelines. We are committed to minimizing the impact of our activities on the environment during development, operation and decommissioning. Keyera maintains a tracking system, complies with all applicable regulatory requirements and monitors changes to compliance practices and timelines.

During the planning stages of projects we consider the potential environmental impacts, including to soil, wildlife, water and air. We work with regulators to demonstrate we have planned for all the necessary mitigation activities during construction and operations, and that we will monitor our ongoing impact. Once assets are retired, the developed lands are returned to equivalent land use capability.

Retiring our assets

In 2021, we continued to execute on our facility optimization program, including fulfilling our responsibility to return land to equivalent land use capacity. Most significantly, we began the suspension of our Brazeau North and Ricinus gas plants and completed surface deconstruction at Bigoray. We continued to progress surface deconstruction at West Pembina, as well as the removal of hazardous materials from a number of other facilities.

Consistent with our focus on long-term environmental stewardship and disciplined financial management, site closures are actively managed through our Decommissioning & Land Reclamation (DLR) program.

Managing Biodiversity

We take special care to identify and protect sensitive species, including amphibians, fish, birds, mammals, and vegetation. During project design, we conduct desktop and field-based predisturbance assessments to identify areas of sensitive or critical wildlife and vegetation habitat.

We often hire local experts and communities to conduct assessments. Government databases and feedback from Indigenous communities and community members help us identify priority biodiversity areas or populations of significance prior to conducting any field work or application submissions. If any sensitive areas are identified, specific mitigation plans are developed.

We apply a Mitigation Hierarchy approach for project planning and biodiversity management. This framework prioritizes minimizing – and ultimately avoiding –biodiversity impacts, particularly in sensitive areas and critical habitats. The Mitigation Hierarchy is used to develop our Environmental Protection Plans (EPPs) for construction and reclamation, including location-specific mitigations for identified sensitive and critical habitat. For example, the EPP may contain proactive wildlife prevention measures such as amphibian fencing around temporary ponds, bird deterrents, or restrictions on removing trees in sensitive habitats.

Where habitat is affected by our work, every effort is taken to restore the area to its previous ecological state.

Land reclamation commitments

Site reclamation has a specific set of regulatory obligations. Keyera complies with all applicable regulatory requirements and monitors changes to compliance practices and timelines.

Our land reclamation commitments are managed through a Liability Management System (LMS). Based on a series of environmental stages and clear management objectives, the LMS houses an inventory of areas of concern, systematically identifies preferred workflow, tracks end-of-life costs, and identifies and ranks risk related to each area of concern. Data is collected from each of our sites to categorize and prioritize the land management considerations and corresponding obligations, so these may be monitored and addressed in a comprehensive and timely manner. 

 

This process identifies and tracks our activities from initial land disturbance through to end state, including certification of successful site reclamation. Similar to safety, our land management practices, including application of consistent practices and procedures, are facilitated through use of our Operational Excellence Management System (OEMS).

Consistent with our focus on disciplined financial management, Keyera elects to allocate remediation related costs earlier in an asset’s lifecycle than required by regulation. This approach enhances our ability to proactively manage long-term liabilities related to site reclamation and balances funding to settle these liabilities over the productive life of the asset. End-of-life costs are accounted for as part of our financial obligations, ensuring we maintain a strong asset-to-liability ratio.