Alberta company ordered to abandon wells following months of regulatory failures
CBC
An Alberta company has lost the right to manage its own well sites after the provincial regulator ruled the operations pose a safety risk and must be abandoned by the operator.
The Orphan Well Association has assumed control of Revitalize Energy Inc.'s operations, two months after the Calgary-based company was formally ordered by the Alberta Energy Regulator to suspend operations.
Due to the company's ongoing financial distress and failure to comply with a string of previous orders, the regulator has ruled the operator can not be relied on to safely maintain its wells.
Staff from OWA — the industry-funded agency tasked with cleaning up wells in Alberta that have been abandoned or no longer have a responsible owner — will now ensure pipelines and more than 200 wells are shut down.
When a licensee is unable to provide ongoing reasonable care over assets, the regulator can place it under the association's care.
"At the end of the day, Revitalize did not do this work, whether they chose not to do the work or could not pay to have the work done," OWA present Lars De Pauw said in an interview with CBC News.
"That's why we're coming in to make sure it's put into safe condition."
CBC was unable to reach the company for comment.
An AER order dated Nov. 14 said the company failed to safely suspend wells and pipelines and doesn't have the cash flow needed to operate properly.
"[Due to] outstanding non-compliances, compliance history, lack of timely and meaningful communication with the AER, and with the additional risks of freezing during the upcoming winter season, the manager is of the opinion that Revitalize is not capable of providing reasonable care," the order says.
The drilling company operates across Alberta and Saskatchewan with the majority of its sites concentrated around the cross-border city of Lloydminster.
The operator has been the subject of a string of AER orders.
The company has been on a sanction status since last November when the AER flagged the company as unable or unwilling to comply with regulatory requirements.
Last month the company was ordered to cease operations and abandon all infrastructure, including wells, operational sites and pipelines, following repeated failures to comply with the regulator.
Run 3 Space | Play Space Running Game
Traffic Jam 3D | Online Racing Game
Duck Hunt | Play Old Classic Game
Four in five of the wildfires so far in Saskatchewan this year have been caused by humans — the vast majority of them accidentally. But experts say part of the reason they've spread so far, so fast, is another human factor: climate change driven by the burning of fossil fuels.
Just a block away from the border of Alberta and Saskatchewan there's a garden uniting green thumbs in Lloydminster.
Shelley Lindaas has long dreamed of seeing a Kermode bear cub in person.
The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) report outlining the events leading to the death of Erixon Kabera answered some questions for his family and friends, but many remain.
Syed Hassan says he doesn't like to complain much. But when his wife told him she got a parking ticket on Thursday night, he knew he needed to speak out.
Following the public outcry over the Jian Ghomeshi case, some legal scholars and sexual assault survivor advocates lauded changes made to the Criminal Code that would prevent defence lawyers from surprising complainants at trial with past emails or text messages with the defendant.
The Waterloo Region District School Board has been talking a lot about the word "family" this month.
At Pedro's Island Eatery in North Rustico, owner Pedro Gameiro has long been not a fan of using seed oils for frying
The parking lot of the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre in Whitehorse was full on Friday, and the building surrounded by well-dressed young people and their proud families. Despite the smoky conditions in the city, there was much to celebrate.
Toronto has moved one step closer to allowing fiveplexes and sixplexes in neighbourhoods across the city.
Warning: Some readers may find photos in this story distressing.
Fifty years ago this fall the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States met in a castle outside Paris for three days of meetings, at the conclusion of which they issued the Declaration of Rambouillet, a 15-point statement of principles and commitments.
An Iranian woman living in Newfoundland and Labrador says she's watching attacks between Israel and Iran with worry for her family back home.