Alberta Energy Regulator CEO Jim Ellis to resign in January

The president and CEO of the Alberta Energy Regulator, Jim Ellis,will resign early next year.

The AER says the move has been in the works for the past several months and will take effect at the end of January.

The Fridayannouncement comes a day after the regulator apologized anddistanced itselffor an internal presentation by a senior official that put the estimated liability of cleaning up abandoned energy infrastructure in Alberta at $260 billion.

• $260B liability figure for abandoned energy infrastructure an 'error in judgment': AER

Liability estimates lay out the costs of reclaiming old oil wells, pipelines and tailings ponds.

The AERnews release Thursday said the $260-billion estimate was a "worst-case scenario." The regulator said its current liability estimate is closer to $60 billion.

Ellis joined the AERin June 2013 as the first CEO of the newlyformed regulator.

Prior to the appointment, Ellis served as Alberta's deputy minister of environment from 2008 to 2011. Heworked on environmental frameworks in the oilsands region, climate change initiatives and improvements to the regulatory system.

He then served as deputy energy minister.

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