The provincial government is establishing an Oil and Gas Conservation Regulation to allow the Alberta Energy Regulator to hold companies accountable for weeds and agricultural pests on their sites.--CP FILE PHOTO
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The province is implementing new measures to take on the problem of weeds on oil and gas sites.
The province is establishing a new Oil and Gas Conservation Regulation to provide the Alberta Energy Regulator with the authority to hold companies accountable for managing weeds and agricultural pests on their sites.
The regulation providing the AER with these new powers comes into effect May 1.
“Weed and pest control is an important issue for Alberta’s farmers that previous governments failed to address,” said Minister of Energy and Minerals Brian Jean. “These new rules will help ensure companies uphold their responsibilities to the landowners that host the oil and gas industry on their lands.”
The new regulation will allow the AER to uphold the requirement that oil and gas companies conduct weed or pest control.
Enforcement tools available to the AER will include levying fees, closing producing wells or facilities, or imposing Global Refer status, which indicates the company’s inability or unwillingness to comply for consideration in future AER applications.
Municipal weed inspectors will also be able to notify the AER of companies failing to meet the standard of “reasonable care and measures” required under the law and trigger compliance actions.
The UCP government will review the weed control process after six months, after which it will make any necessary adjustments.
The Farmers’ and Property Rights Advocate Office is welcoming the additional supports for rural landowners.
“Leveraging the existing compliance and enforcement tools of the Alberta Energy Regulator will allow farmers and ranchers to realize increased crop yields while lowering operational costs related to critical vegetation management efforts,” said Farmers’ and Property Rights advocate of Alberta Peter J. Dobbie.
The Rural Municipalities of Alberta have advocated to both the provincial and federal governments to adopt legislation and standards that would protect landowners against hardship resulting from oil and gas companies’ neglect of weed control on well sites.
Addressing weed control on oil and gas sites to protect agricultural lands was a recommendation in last year’s Mature Asset Strategy to deal with abandoned wells.
