
Alberta regulator mulls reducing liability of old wells before cleanup certified
EDMONTON, AB – The Alberta Energy Regulator is considering allowing oil and gas companies to reduce their environmental liabilities on old well sites before the cleanup is certified complete.
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. It comes as Alberta tries to figure out what do with the tens of thousands of old wells that pock the provincial landscape.
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.
“They don’t audit,” said Daryl Bennett, a landowner with Action Surface Rights, which represents more than 1,000 landowners across the province.