The degree of conservatism current in some regulatory guidelines may be unnecessary. How can the development of accepted risk and science-based studies continue to protect the environment and reduce remediation costs?

1. Data Utilization strategy
   • Meta-analysis of historical databases and research reports.
2. .Organics (PHC) Remediation
   • Fate and transport mechanisms (e.g., GW-based soil guidelines).
   • Understand appropriate protection of various exposure pathways.
   • Clarity on AB Guideline assumptions (e.g., continuous source).
   • Best management practices.
3. Inorganics (salinity, metals) Remediation
   • Fate and transport mechanisms (e.g., GW-based soil guidelines).
   • Understanding background concentrations (including regional variations) of metals and salts.
   • Understand appropriate protection of various exposure pathways.
   • Clarity on Soil Contamination Assessment and Remediation Guidelines (SCARG) criteria (e.g., EC, SAR).
   • Outcome-based soil quality guidelines for in-organics (surface/subsoil).
   • Best management practices.
4. Research to support future updates to forested well-site reclamation criteria:
   • Review of sites reclaimed post-2007. Examples of research questions:
   • Are sites on a trajectory to achieve the offsite ecosite or eco site phase?
   • Growth curves for woody species on re-claimed sites to support earlier certification of non-oil and gas activities.
   • Woody species plant community trajectory/survival rates on clay pads reclaimed after 2007.
5. Addition of species diversity parameters and thresholds to the forested criteria. Examples of research ideas:
   • Methods for assessing habitat components for various species (e.g., caribou, mountain sheep, goats).
   • Methods for determining plant community’s indicative of specific ecosites/ecosite phases.
   • Undesirable species threshold for forested criteria.
   • How much grass is too much to ensure reasonable growth over time in sensitive areas?
   • Retrospective study on forested trajectories for reclaimed eco-sites with First Nations, and Indigenous community representation to measure the success of forested BMP/treatments on well sites post certification.
   • Best management practices.
6. Support the development and update of wetland rec- lamination closure policy and certification
   • Site selection criteria and tools for selection when reclaiming wetlands for sites that were not previously wetlands.
   • Review of species richness of reclaimed wetlands on large borrow pits within the combined zones of shallow open water, emergent, wet meadow zones, and swamps (when present) across the boreal/parkland.
   • Minimum species richness and cover required to verify a desired wetland plant community.
   • Peatland shifts to other dominant forms of a local ecosystem.
   • Peatland partial pad construction, options for es- establishing trees/shrubs to meet potential woody species requirements in caribou zones.
   • Best management practices.
7. Research to support restoration requirements out- lined in subregional planning for the Caribou region
8. Effectiveness of restoration/reclamation treatments:
   • When is a disturbance (e.g., seismic line) no longer a disturbance?
   • Ecological value of reclamation (function, habitat, and hydrology) of different reclamation treatments (e.g., natural recovery, progressive reclamation, mounding, full/partial pad removal) compared to pre-/un-disturbed habitats.
   • Determining how to measure or assess if a re-claimed site (e.g., p/l, transmission lines, new seismic, OSE) or plant community is on a trajectory to achieve one indicative of a pre-disturbance eco-site phase for.
9. Other
   • Understand Phase I ESA calculations for Drilling Waste (link to soil/GW guidelines)
   • Understand the appropriateness of using of re-regional/multi-site assessments and develop a set of expectations/requirements for use.
   • Develop expectations/requirements for the use of software tools/numerical modeling.

Identify areas for broad application of risk assessment strategies that protect the environment and reduce the required management/remediation efforts.

1. Understanding risk assessment of receptors.
2. Standardized approach of risk assessment based on residual mass vs numerical endpoints.
3. Software tools to aid in the standardized application of Tier 2 guidelines using appropriate site-specific data.
4. Comprehensive assessment versus assessment of individual contaminants.
5. Data gaps assessment.

Technology improvements and finding new applications of existing and new technologies to reduce reclamation and remediation costs and timelines.

1. Bioremediation
2. Remote sensing for certification and field validation
   1. Net environmental benefits
   2. Gap analysis of management approaches in different jurisdictions
3. Petroleum hydrocarbon, salinity, and metals effective remedial technologies and methods (including small volumes and longer timeframes), associated risks, assessment effectiveness, and relevance to environmental risk
   1. Fractured bedrock
   2. Wetlands
   3. In-situ and ex-situ groundwater.
4. Native Grassland Reclamation BMP development:
   • Techniques for meeting infill requirements on problem sites.
   • Managing Type 3 and 4 species on historical grassland sites constructed/reclaimed pre-2010).
   • Techniques for management of crested wheatgrass.
   • Preventing problem native grassland reclamation sites – education tools.
5. Forested Reclamation BMP Development
   • Success of different reclamation treatments (e.g., natural recovery, progressive reclamation, mounding, planting.
   • Weed trajectories in woody plant communities, influences of boreal community variables?
6. Use of remote sensing in reclamation to:
   • Reduce sampling intensity for field-level data collection.
   • verify plant community’s indicative of the eco- site/ecosite phase.
   • Confirm or verify.
   • Informing wetland indicators/success of reclaimed borrows.
   • Assess site variability (progressive reclamation, soil replacement, vegetation monitoring).