On April 2, 2020, the Legislative Assembly of Alberta passed
three emergency bills to address the COVID-19 pandemic in the
Province. Among them was Bill 12, the Liabilities Management
Statutes Amendment Act, 2020, which grants the Alberta Energy
Regulator (AER or Regulator) new powers and funding to manage what
the government anticipates will be a large rise in suspended or
abandoned oil and gas projects in the wake of COVID-19. Jason
Nixon, House Leader and Minister of Environment and Parks,
suggested that Bill 12 would boost employment and protect jobs in
Alberta's oil and gas service sector during these challenging
times by creating jobs related to remediation and reclamation of
wells and other production facilities.