Drilling Activity and Notification

[cowman]

Actually emerald, that isn't really correct?
There are literally thousands of "orphan wells" in Alberta where the companies walked away and left the government holding the bag? When a company drills a well they have to put money into a fund that is supposed to go to cleaning up "orphan wells". Last year I believe the Klein government cleaned up six of these wells...even though there should have been enough funds there to clean up over one hundred? If you look at how the Alberta government acts in regards to big business it is truly a scandal! But then why should they change? The idiots keep voting them in and they continue to live the life of Riley?
I wonder how many leases stay with the original company? These guys play musical chairs like no other business in the world...and they go bankrupt and are reborn to fight another day on a regular basis? It is almost like an industry stratedgy to avoid paying for your mistakes?

[cowman]

Oh, one more thing! Never sign an abandonment certificate! If you do you just might be liable somewhere down the road!
Instead let the Alberta government sign it! In the meantime it will take a couple of years and you will get a couple more lease payments!
The oil company will offer you a "bonus" for signing the certificate...but don't do it! It is always less than what you'll get by holding up the process and if anything goes wrong in the future you aren't left holding the bag!

[cowman]

cowman, the 'orphan well fund' is a different issue than allowing a company to abandon a pipeline.
Farmers don't have the ability to sign an abandonment certificate as far as I know, but they do have the ability to sign a reclaimation release. I will never sign one and believe me the reclaimation regs have been relaxed so much that landowners have to be extremely vigilant during reclaimation processes to ensure that their interests are being met.

[sagewood]

Good morning everyone..re the orphaned wells, the orphan well fund covers the cost of abandoning and reclaiming these well sites..this same fund also now covers an orphaned pipeline.

That being said, however, you also have the right to insist that the pipeline be removed after it is decommissioned. The oilies will fight this like crazy and say it will do more damange to the land and etc. etc. So in future, before I sign for any well on my land, I will insist on seeing the pipeline plan and having the contract read that the pipeline be removed after decommissioning.

By all means, do not sign off on the reclaimation certificate..especially since the gov't has gotten so lazy about having each site inspected by an environmental officer. The oilies will try to pass off the most minimum of reclaimations and as stated, the land owner is left with the mess.

With regard to help to fight for lease or reclaimation, another good fellow who is very well-versed and knowledgable about all of this is Richard Secord (Lawyer) in Calgary. If anyone is interested, I will look up his contact information and email it to you. He is currently fighting for a lady in the Rosebud area who is being greatly impacted by a noisy compressor that is not on her land. She has not had any success in pleading her case with the oilies who are responsible for this compressor, in fact, they have pretty much managed to make her look like a lunatic, which she is not. Try living with a grinding, screaching compressor 24/7..could make anyone go a little luny. A-n-y-way......good luck..hg