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ESRD – aemera Transition Project

ESRD – aemera.org Transition Project. Objectives of this meeting. Evolution of the criteria Definitions and assumptions Current status of work Air Land Biodiversity Water Our path forward. Criteria used by the teams during this process:.

julie-rich
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ESRD – aemera Transition Project

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  1. ESRD – aemera.orgTransition Project

  2. Objectives of this meeting • Evolution of the criteria • Definitions and assumptions • Current status of work • Air • Land • Biodiversity • Water • Our path forward

  3. Criteria used by the teams during this process: • Definitions of “ambient”, “compliance”, “allocation”, and “stewardship”. • Aemera.org: • Function generates knowledge about current condition of the environment • ESRD • Function uses knowledge for a management action Examples include, but are not limited to: • Revisions to approvals • New or changed policy • Operation of infrastructure • Enforcement of existing policy or approval

  4. Assumptions used during the team discussions: • Funding for aemera.org will be sufficient to complete all current functions identified for transition to aemera.org. • Some monitoring activities will require transformation during the transition to aemera.org. • This may take several or more years (e.g. fish counts are currently being done, but only for problem lakes and/or threatened game species, not in a systematic manner to provide a full “state of the fish” prespective) • Monitoring work completed by other Departments (e.g. Alberta Agriculture), will be evaluated for possible transition at a later date

  5. Current status of work • 6 teams (Air, Land, Biodiversity, Surface Water Quality, Hydro-Met, Groundwater) • Recommendations drafted from all groups based upon definitions from the previous slides and mandate of aemera.org as defined within Bill 31 • SWQ is lagging slightly behind, but will have recommendations soon, without any significant delay in the overall process • Summary documents are in the process of being prepared based upon the worksheets completed with the media teams; as these are completed, they will be brought to this group for review

  6. Our path forward • Review of recommendations from each media group, starting with Air, by Media Team Leads • Review of recommendations from each media group, starting with Air, by ADM Steering Committee • Process map of functions identified as transitioning to aemera.org to inform optimal resource allocation and minimize operational disturbances • Transition functions from ESRD to aemera.org

  7. Definitions (1 of 3) Ambient Environmental Monitoring is a term used to describe baseline and effects-based monitoring. It does not include compliance monitoring. Baseline Monitoring describes the state of the environment and its natural variability. Baseline monitoring establishes the benchmark against which sites that are affected by development can be compared. Effects or Effects-based Monitoring describes monitoring activities undertaken to determine the status or trend of specific environmental attributes or indicators that reflect the current state of the environment. It focuses on changes in the environment resulting from various anthropogenic activities but is also able to detect changes due to natural causes such as climate variation. BACK

  8. Definitions (2 of 3) Compliance Monitoring or Performance-basedMonitoring describes monitoring activities undertaken to determine if a particular facility is complying with its operating approval(s) and related licencing or permitting conditions. Such monitoring focuses on understanding and managing pressures on the environment (e.g., end of pipe or top of stack emissions) but may include condition indicators for environmental media under the care and control of the operator (e.g., soil, groundwater). BACK

  9. Definitions (3 of 3) Allocation is a term used to describe the assignment of an amount of a natural resource, or an area of publicly owned land, to a private or public entity per the applicable legislative authority (e.g.: water allocations to industry via EPEA approvals, set levels of grazing on public land via Public Lands Act lease,  or fish allocations via harvest licenses). Stewardshipis a term used to describe a commitment for responsible and sustainable management of natural resources on the part of resource users.  It fosters proactive activities engaging users in best management practices for the long-term sustainability of the resources they depend on, and does not include compliance activities.  It may be termed “the carrot” rather than “the stick” – “I want to” rather than “I have to”. BACK

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