Reading Time: 5 minutes Alberta’s beautiful landscape is dotted with a lot of oil and gas wells. A current list of them from the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) runs to more than 16,000 pages, and there’s an estimated 620,000 of them in total. They’re collectively a major contributor to Alberta’s economy, and the energy needs of North America and […] Read more
A bird’s eyeview of orphan wells
Process can be long and complex for farmers and other landowners
Landowners can request clean-up of abandoned oil wells
Any site that’s been abandoned or inactive for five years is eligible, says Alberta Energy Regulator
Reading Time: < 1 minute 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 […] Read more
Boom delays pilot to convert abandoned well sites to solar
Solar equipment makers ‘tapped right out’ but interest in conversions still strong
Reading Time: 2 minutes A sizzling buildout of solar in Alberta has delayed a pilot project that will convert abandoned oil and gas well sites to sun-powered power generation. “We’ve been caught in the major solar boom that’s been happening throughout Alberta, so getting equipment has tightened up quite a bit from where it was a year ago,” said […] Read more
Online resource on inactive oil wells updated
Reading Time: < 1 minute The number of inactive and orphaned wells in the province is growing, says the Pembina Institute. In response, the non-profit think-tank focused on energy has updated its Liabilities Resources for Landowners on its website. The web page has “detailed and timely information on funding, regulations and policy, legal cases, and involved organizations,” said the organization, […] Read more
Landowners can ‘nominate’ oil and gas sites for cleanup
Website allows owners to put a site on their property onto a list for potential cleanup
Reading Time: < 1 minute The province is now accepting “nominations” from landowners who have inactive oil and gas sites on their properties. The nomination program is the latest phase of the $1-billion Site Rehabilitation Program announced in spring. The program provides grants to oilfield service contractors to perform well, pipeline, and oil and gas site reclamation work. To nominate […] Read more
Will you be on the hook for abandoned gas and oil wells?
Rural property owners will be ‘significantly’ impacted by $173 million in unpaid taxes, say municipalities
Reading Time: 3 minutes Rural Albertans could be on the hook for a growing number of orphaned and abandoned wells and tens of millions in back taxes owed by struggling oil and gas companies. “This is not the first year we’ve had companies choosing not to pay their taxes, and it is escalating,” said Al Kemmere, president of the […] Read more
Court ruling alone won’t fix ‘orphan’ well crisis
There are now more than 3,000 abandoned wells in Alberta, and many more that are no longer active
Reading Time: 3 minutes A Supreme Court ruling that puts cleanup ahead of creditors is a step forward — but won’t “make too much difference” to landowners with abandoned wells, says a director with the Alberta Surface Rights Federation. “The landowners are still going to be in a situation where they have to deal with contaminated land for maybe […] Read more
Bankrupt oil firms must clean up inactive wells, Supreme Court rules
Ottawa/Winnipeg | Reuters — Canada’s Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that bankrupt oil companies must clean up inactive wells, overturning lower court decisions that prioritized paying creditors and potentially raising the risks of investment in the industry. The 5-2 ruling means that the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER), which had appealed the earlier court decisions, can […] Read more
Be on guard for land agents with ‘questionable ethics’
Carol Goodfellow says a bonus for signing quickly and not being offered complete information are warning signs
Reading Time: 3 minutes Farmers, ranchers, land agents, and energy companies need to have a basic understanding of ethics as they relate to energy negotiations, says an official with the Farmers’ Advocate Office (FAO). “One of the roles of the FAO is to assist farmers and ranchers to understand the laws that guide the energy industry and their rights […] Read more
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