The Alberta Energy Regulator is accepting “nominations” from landowners for the clean-up of abandoned oil and gas wells on their property.
“Eligible individuals and groups can nominate wells or facilities that have been inactive or abandoned for five or more years and meet certain criteria by submitting a closure nomination form,” the agency said in a bulletin on its website.
The main criteria is that the well has been abandoned for five years or more, the person seeking the clean-up is the owner, and that a reclamation certificate hasn’t been granted nor is an application pending.
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CBC reported last month that the province hadn’t spent a big chunk of the $1 billion it received from Ottawa in 2020 for cleaning up inactive wells. The report said the money was allocated but not all of the clean-up projects have been completed, and the province “is expected to return about $130 million.”
Citing data from the Alberta Energy Regulator, the story also said there are tens of thousands of inactive oil and gas wells across the province that have not been cleaned up.
Information on making a nomination for a well clean-up can be found at the Alberta Energy Regulator website. You can also reach the agency by email at [email protected] or phone 1-855-297-8311.
