Idea to reduce liabilities for reclamation sooner (Photo 66811397 | Abandoned Oil Well © John Sirlin | Dreamstime.com)

By The Canadian Press

Critics concerned about latest well reclamation idea

Oct 24, 2023 | 7:32 AM

EDMONTON — Alberta’s Energy Regulator is considering giving oil and gas companies an advance break on the environmental liabilities of old well sites before the cleanup is certified complete.

But critics say the proposal weakens the ability of landowners to hold bad actors to account and depends on an audit system that many already question.

The proposal would let companies reduce their liability for an old well as soon as the work has been done, instead of having to wait until the site has healthy plant cover.

The regulator says the move would reward companies that remediate their old sites promptly, cutting the amount of environmental red ink on their books and making it easier for them to sell or buy old wells.

But Drew Yewchuk, a lawyer and researcher on well reclamation law, says the regulator depends too much on self-reporting and doesn’t audit company claims often enough.

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Daryl Bennett, of the landowner’s group Action Surface Rights, says the proposal could make landowners have to wait even longer for cleanup, adding that environmental problems are sometimes only revealed by poor plant growth.

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(The Canadian Press)