Strong Disconnect From Reality Over Orphaned Oil Wells Exists, Say Greens

Media Release

January 7, 2020

STRONG DISCONNECT FROM REALITY OVER ORPHANED OIL WELLS EXISTS, SAY GREENS

EDMONTON – The words of a former provincial Conservative cabinet minister who is now the CEO of the Petroleum Services Association of Canada have drawn the ire of the Green Party of Alberta.

Speaking on CBC radio, Gary Mar suggested that Albertans and Canadians should pick up the tab for $700 million by providing tax credits that would be used by oil companies to clean up orphan oil wells over a three-year period.

Will Carnegie, Interim Leader of the Green Party of Alberta, says taxpayers should not be on the hook for the slash and burn policies of Conservatives governments who served as virtual surrogates for oil and gas companies. “Total liabilities for abandoned and derelict oil wells is now at $100 billion. Why should we foot the bill just because decade after decade of Conservative governments failed to require oil and gas companies to provide adequate security deposits that would have covered the costs of cleaning up these wells?”

Award-winning journalist Andrew Nikiforuk estimates that Alberta has 107,000 oil wells that are producing less than 10 barrels a day, 93,000 inactive wells, and 77,000 wells that are abandoned and plugged. These wells all need to be cleaned up.

Carnegie says it is time the government-funded gravy train end for Big Oil. “The Green Party of Alberta believes the crisis was created by successive Alberta governments that did not create a clean-up fund. It is oil companies that used our environment and communities as disposable and we want them to pay for the reclamation of these wells.”

The troubled Alberta Energy Regulator has collected a paltry $220 million dollars for orphan wells. Carnegie says the level of negligence by Conservative governments is staggering. “This is a level of incompetence that is beyond imagination. We need an independent public inquiry that investigates the extent of Big Oil’s underfunded environmental liabilities. The well-being of this and future generations demand nothing less.”

– 30 –

For more information, please contact:

Will Carnegie

Interim Leader of the Green Party of Alberta, Candidate of Record in Calgary-East

Phone: 403-973-6035

Email: leader@greenpartyofalberta.ca