Mineral Resources Development Act (Chapter M-16.8).

The purposes of this Act are (a) to provide for the economic, orderly, efficient and responsible development in the public interest of mineral resources in Alberta; (b) to secure the observance of safe and efficient practices in the public interest in the development of mineral resources in Alberta; (c) to provide for the responsible management of wells, facilities, well sites, facility sites, mines, mine sites, external mine discard dumps and processing plants throughout their life cycles; (d) to afford each mineral resource owner the opportunity to obtain the owner’s share of the production of mineral resources; (e) to effect the conservation and prevent the waste of mineral resources in Alberta; (f) to manage the development of mineral resources as between licensees, permittees and approval holders and in relation to the development and conservation of energy resources in Alberta; (g) to control pollution and to ensure the protection of the environment and public safety in the development of mineral resources in Alberta; (h) to provide for the timely and useful collection, appraisal and dissemination of information relating to mineral resources in Alberta.
This Act applies in respect of (a) the development of mineral resources in Alberta, whether development commenced before or after the coming into force of this Act, (b) all wells, facilities, well sites, facility sites, mines, mine sites, external mine discard dumps and processing plants involved in the development of mineral resources in Alberta, and (c) all mineral resources recovered in Alberta. The Act under Part 2 regulates schemes, wells and facilities and provides for the designation of wells and facilities; ; approval of schemes; prohibitions and obligations — licence; etc. Part 3 concerns mines, mine Sites and processing plants; it establishes no person shall develop a mine site, or resume operations at a suspended mine site unless the person holds a permit that is in full force and effect for the mine site. It requires that no person shall develop or operate a mine, construct or operate an external mine discard dump, or resume operations at a suspended mine or external mine discard dump unless the person holds a licence that is in full force and effect for the mine or external mine discard dump. Moreover no person shall construct or operate a processing plant, or resume operations at a suspended processing plant unless the person holds an approval that is in full force and effect for the processing plant.