(UPDATE) Energy regulator to change application forms for permits related to Blueberry River territory

Update, January 18th, 3.20 p.m.: This story was updated to clarify how the forms are changing.

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Changes are being made to the permitting application forms for prospective energy projects, including in northeast B.C., according to the BC Energy Regulator (BCER).

A statement on the BCER’s website says it is implementing updates to its systems process and documentation “to further enhance permitting efficiency and transparency.” 

The updated forms include the ‘project description form,’ which when the applications are related to northeast B.C. will include questions on the requirements outlined in Treaty 8, and the ‘Implementation Agreement form,’ which will now combine information from the former version and a previous ‘sensitive planning form’ in relation to projects in Blueberry River First Nations (BRFN) territory.

The Implementation Agreement relates to the province’s Supreme Court’s ruling that the B.C. government had infringed on BRFN’s Treaty 8 rights by failing to account for the cumulative impacts of issuing permits for development on the Nations’ territory back in 2021. 

After both sides agreed to work on a forward path respecting BRFN’s rights and looking at the cumulative effects of multiple projects, it was signed in 2023.

“These improvements [will] offer greater clarity for both oil and gas, as well as renewable energy operators,” wrote the BCER in the statement. 

Prior to the announcement, project proposals were submitted through the BCER’s Application Management System (AMS). Now, applicants can submit the forms through its e-submission site.

Although the forms have been updated, the “underlying application and permitting requirements remain unchanged,” a BCER spokesperson told Energeticcity.ca.

While the changes will begin on Monday, February 2nd, BCER says project proposals can go through either avenue up until March 31st.

It will also offer online sessions to help guide prospective proposals throughout February.

These are scheduled for February 2nd and 5th for northeast B.C. clients from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. mountain time, and on February 3rd from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. pacific time for clients elsewhere in the province.

To participate in the sessions, please email Melanie Ransom at Melanie.Ransom@bc-er.ca. For further information, visit the BCER’s website.