Oil Wells

• Alberta energy minister told to design incentives for industry to clean up oil wells

  Brian Jean was tasked with "developing a strategy to effectively incentivize reclamation of inactive legacy oil and natural gas sites...''

  Politics

  Jul 13, 2023
  
• Unpaid oilpatch taxes rise again despite energy industry boom, say rural Alberta municipalities

  The Rural Municipalities of Alberta said energy companies now owe towns and villages in which they operate a total of $268 million — up 261 per cent since 2018.

  Economy

  Mar 7, 2023
  
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• Auditor general gives qualified approval to how Alberta spent oil well cleanup money

  Doug Wylie says in a report Tuesday that the program was well run, but the government wasn't ready for how quickly things in the energy industry change.

  Canada

  Mar 22, 2022
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• Oil and gas well cleanup efforts hampered by labour shortage

  The cleanup of oil and gas wells is hampered as many of the same companies that provide rigs for new drilling programs are also involved in industry cleanup efforts.

  Environment

  Oct 15, 2021
• Public funds didn’t increase oil well cleanups, study suggests

  Much of the taxpayer money that has funded oil well cleanup in Alberta may have simply replaced money that energy companies would have spent anyway, according to a new analysis.

  Canada

  Jul 7, 2021
• Report calls for public takeover of old Alberta oil and gas wells to fund their cleanup

  The report by the Alberta Liabilities Disclosure Project recommends a public agency be formed to step in to operate those wells and use the revenues to fund reclamation.

  Environment

  Jun 29, 2021
• Abandoned oil and gas wells will be cleaned up despite backlog: Alberta regulator

  Laurie Pushor, now a year into his tenure at the helm of the Calgary-based Alberta Energy Regulator, says the office is gradually regaining the trust of Albertans.

  Canada

  May 27, 2021
• Study finds abandoned oil and gas wells place unfair burden on landowners, taxpayers

  A report from the University of Calgary says the costs of Alberta's growing stock of abandoned and inactive oil and gas wells are falling unfairly on landowners and taxpayers.

  Canada

  May 20, 2021
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• Easing rules on transfer of unreclaimed oil wells could speed cleanup, study finds

  The Canada West Foundation says that could include allowing companies to sell off defunct energy infrastructure without completely cleaning it up. 

  Economy

  Apr 26, 2021
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• $400M available in next round of funding to clean up orphan oil wells in Alberta

  The cash is part of a federally funded site rehabilitation program announced last May to direct up to $1 billion toward reclamation projects in Alberta.

  Canada

  Feb 12, 2021