While oil prices have dropped below $50 per barrel, expanding market access continues to be a long-term need for Canadian oil and gas producers. Despite lower revenues — the current estimated cost of a barrel of oil in Canada is around $35 — oil product is still expected to grow in 2015. “Canada has the […]
Oil industry abandons more wells
The drop in oil prices coupled with new regulations and changes in drilling have prompted a lot of junior oil companies to walk away from their wells. In fact the numbers of orphaned wells have jumped dramatically, going from 162 to 702 in the past year. The problem now is the clean up. For the past […]
New rules in the wake of a quake
New rules for oil companies using hydraulic fracturing in the Fox Creek area should prevent stronger earthquakes, the Alberta Energy Regulator has declared. After a cluster of earthquakes possibly associated with “fracking” in the region, the regulator decided to bring new regulations, said Todd Shipman, AER manager responsible for seismic monitoring. “We want the ability […]
What caused January earthquake in Alberta
On January 22, Fox Creek, Alberta was struck by a 4.4-magnitude earthquake. While the earthquake caused neither significant property damage nor injury, it did shake residents up. More importantly, it brought up the ongoing debate regarding the cause of the seismic activity. The science is still out on the definitive cause of the quake, but preliminary […]
Clean up of spill in northern Alberta a challenge
Bitterly cold weather is impacting a crude oil spill clean up effort about 27 kilometres from Red Earth Creek in northern Alberta. The Alberta Energy Regulator says 337 barrels (60,000 litres) poured from a Canadian Natural Resources pipeline into muskeg. There are no reports of impact to wildlife. An incident report by the regulator states that a mechanical […]
Birds die in tailings pond, companies not at fault
The Alberta Energy Regulator says oil sands companies Syncrude, Suncor and CNRL were following the rules when 196 birds died on tailings ponds in early November. Heavy fog and heavy, wet snow were deemed factors in why the waterfowl landed on the toxic ponds on November 4th despite deterrents being in place. The AER had stated 122 birds […]
Pipeline gets approval – with conditions attached
With Keystone XL, Northern Gateway and Energy East pipelines stalled at the gate, the Alberta Energy Regulator has given a tentative stamp of approval to the $3-billion Grand Rapids oil pipeline. Along with the “OK” comes 26 conditions. Considerably less than the more than 200 needed before the Northern Gateway can proceed. The pipeline in […]
Plains Midstream Canada passes audit imposed after oil spills
Plains Midstream Canada is out of the regulatory penalty box after passing an audit imposed by the Alberta Energy Regulator following several polluting leaks from its petroleum pipelines. But the regulator says it will continue to keep a close eye on the activities of the Calgary-based subsidiary of Plains All American Pipeline, L.P., of Houston. […]
A dubious first for Canadian Natural Resources
Canadian Natural Resources, Ltd. has admitted a series of never-ending spills on its property could be caused, or at least exacerbated, by its own high-pressure steaming. It’s the first time the company has admitted this, despite fact environmentalist critics have been saying it for years. And 5 years ago the Energy Resources Conservation Board (regulator […]
Pipeline proposal to Edmonton
It would be twice the size of the Northern Gateway pipeline and much shorter. The project by TransCanada would see in the neighborhood of 900,000 barrels a day flow into the Edmonton from northern Alberta. Construction could start within a few months. The Alberta Energy Regulator is holding a hearing into the $3-billion Grand Rapids […]