Alberta methane equivalency and PM2.5 correction

Summary#

This notice makes two Environment-related items public. It makes available an equivalency agreement between the federal government and Alberta about methane from the upstream oil and gas sector, and it corrects numeric ranges in the update to the Canadian Ambient Air Quality Standards for fine particulate matter (PM2.5). The agreement is available on the CEPA registry as of October 24, 2025, and the erratum fixes errors in the table published on August 9, 2025.

What it does#

• Announces the availability of the Agreement on the Equivalency of Federal and Alberta Regulations Respecting the Release of Methane from the Oil and Gas Sector in Alberta, 2025. The notice points readers to the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 registry entry where the agreement can be found as of October 24, 2025.
• Publishes an erratum (correction) to the previously published update of the Canadian Ambient Air Quality Standards for PM2.5. The corrected Table 2 sets the air quality management level ranges (in micrograms per cubic metre) for both 24‑hour and annual PM2.5 for the years 2020 and 2030, including:
  • Red (reduce below the CAAQS): 24‑hour >27 (2020) and >23 (2030); annual >8.8 (2020) and >8.0 (2030).
  • Orange (prevent exceedance): 24‑hour ≥20 and ≤27 (2020) and ≥17 and ≤23 (2030); annual ≥6.5 and ≤8.8 (2020) and ≥6.1 and ≤8.0 (2030).
  • Yellow (prevent deterioration): 24‑hour ≥11 and ≤19 (2020) and ≥11 and ≤16 (2030); annual ≥4.1 and ≤6.4 (2020) and ≥4.1 and ≤6.0 (2030).
  • The printed erratum’s presentation of the Green (“keep clean areas clean”) row is unclear in the notice text. The item states the HTML version has already been corrected.

Who's affected#

• Operators in the upstream oil and gas sector in Alberta. They are the subject of the equivalency agreement.
• Federal and provincial regulators who manage methane rules and air quality.
• Municipalities, public-health officials, and local air-quality managers who use the CAAQS ranges for planning and public warnings.
• People concerned about PM2.5 pollution — especially communities near industrial sources — because the corrected ranges influence how air quality problems are classified and managed.
• If you want the full texts, the notice gives contact details at the Department of the Environment.

Why it matters#

• The equivalency agreement is the document that explains whether Alberta’s rules can be treated as an alternative to federal methane rules for upstream oil and gas. That can change which rules companies follow and which regulator enforces them.
• The corrected PM2.5 ranges matter for health protection and local decision-making. Those numeric thresholds guide when governments take action to reduce pollution or warn the public about poor air quality.
• The erratum notes the online version was corrected. If you rely on the printed table, check the HTML registry entry to see the corrected numbers and any clarifications.