Pump jack -- The Canadian Press

By The Canadian Press

Companies not cleaning up

Province promises to crack down on rules regarding abandoned oil wells

Jan 15, 2020 | 5:15 PM

EDMONTON — The Alberta government is promising to update the province’s rules for ensuring energy companies clean up their wells.

A group tasked with cleaning up thousands of abandoned energy sites in Alberta has said current rules don’t do enough to prevent companies from buying facilities they can’t afford to clean up.

The Orphan Well Association is specifically concerned about a proposed sale of hundreds of toxic gas wells, pipelines and other facilities from Shell Canada to a much smaller company.

Two large energy companies, as well as 14 area landowners, are also concerned about Shell’s sale of a southern Alberta sour gas field to Calgary-based Pieridae Energy.

Alberta Energy spokesman Kavi Bal says new policies are coming within months to address the life cycle of energy sites, including the transfer of old wells.

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Bal says cleanup is to be paid for by industry, not taxpayers.