The standard requires the land be able to support a range of activities similar to its previous use before oil sands development. There are 420 square kilometers (162 square miles) of land that has been disturbed by oil sands activity—which is just over half of the area of the City of Edmonton, or one third the area of the City of Los Angeles. As of March 2008, approximately 65 square kilometers (25 square miles) are undergoing active reclamation. Industry must submit reclamation plans for approval to the Alberta government, which then issues a final certificate once work.
