Wellsite ordered reclaimed: in for a penny, now about that pound?

While the recently issued Environmental Protection Order that mandates the reclamation of an abandoned wellsite is a good step for the site (and the landowner)  it also stands as an illustration of how things need to change.  As reported in the Calgary Herald the well at issue has been the subject of concern since 2006 (and possibly prior).

It would be interesting to know the amount of time and money spent by the department to get compliance in this instance (and they aren’t there yet).   Then consider a similar regulatory approach in the context of 16,975 wells that were abandoned between 1963 and 2002 (see AESRD) and the additional 35,856 wells that have been abandoned since 2002 (for a total of 52,831 abandoned and unreclaimed wellsites at the end of 2012).

Read “Wellsite ordered reclaimed” on the ELC blog.

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