The province is reviewing the slate of boards and commissions that decide everything from the price of liquor and beer in Alberta to where an oil company can drill.

Alberta has 130 boards and commissions and this is the first review of the system in six years.

Premier Ed Stelmach said Thursday one of the topics the review will explore is whether the government needs to change how it appoints members to its boards and commissions.

Stelmach was already defending his choice to head the review. Neil McCrank is the long-time chair of the Alberta Energy and Utilities Board, but is retiring at the end of March.

The EUB, an arms-length government agency that regulates the province's oil and gas resources, has often been criticized for being too pro-industry.

But Stelmach said he has every confidence in his choice, a man who is both a lawyer and an engineer.

"Neil is a person of tremendous experience and knows both the public and private sector quite well,"' said Stelmach.