Heartland 101

Pembina is committed to land conservation and minimizing the impact of their operations on the environment through stakeholder engagement, environmental assessment and planning, managing species of concern, and habitat restoration and enhancement. They strive to minimize environmental impact during construction and operation of their assets by establishing baseline conditions prior to construction and applying mitigation measures to reduce the potential for impact throughout the full asset lifecycle. 

Wildlife Management Plans are implemented to address risks to species of concern and to outline planned mitigations. Where wildlife or sensitive habitat features are identified, Pembina uses a mitigation hierarchical approach to limit potential impact to the environment, as follows:

1. Avoidance: Steps are taken to design facilities and pipelines in locations that avoid sensitive habitat or direct disturbance to wildlife. Examples include the placement of pipelines or marine infrastructure outside of rare habitats, breeding grounds, or migration routes.
2. Minimization: Where habitat or indirect disturbance cannot be avoided, measures are taken to reduce the duration, intensity and/or extent of impacts. Examples include timing restrictions to avoid breeding or nesting seasons or building wildlife corridors into project design.
3. Reclamation/Restoration: The aim of restoration is to improve degraded or removed ecosystems following impacts that cannot be completely avoided or minimized. Restoration attempts to return an area to the original ecosystem to support the plants and animals that were present before impacts.
4. Habitat Enhancements/Offsets: Offsetting is a non-net loss or netgain approach to compensate for any residual, adverse impacts after full implementation of the previous three steps of the mitigation hierarchy. Examples include undertaking fish habitat enhancement upstream of river crossings or undertaking land restoration/ rehabilitation work on degraded lands outside of Pembina’s operating footprint.

Protecting the North Saskatchewan River

In 2024, Pembina completed a revetment upgrade along the North Saskatchewan River to prevent erosion at three pipeline crossings. Because of the steep slope and limited space at the bottom, a temporary workspace was established at the top of the embankment, within a nearby golf course. To protect the soil from compaction, Pembina used rig matting and geotextile materials, which also helped prevent sedimentation and the spread of invasive weeds.

To minimize disturbance to existing vegetation and reduce equipment movement on the slope, materials were transported using a crane from the top down. This approach helped reduce erosion and sedimentation risks while preserving the site’s vegetation and keeping the project’s footprint small. As a result, the natural integrity of the area was maintained throughout the project.

To learn more about Pembina’s approach to environmental management, check out their 2024 Sustainability Report.