orphan wells

In Alberta and other fossil fuel production jurisdictions there is a whole lot of externalizing going on. Ross Belot examines the corporate practice of pushing environmental liabilities off onto government and society.

The number of abandoned oil wells in British Columbia almost doubled between 2007 and 2018 and funds collected from operators to cover cleanup costs for a growing number of orphaned wells are insufficient, the province's auditor general said in a report issued on Thursday.

What is needed is leadership to ensure Albertans do not inherit the environmental liability of resource development, writes Amin Asadollahi.

A $235-million loan from Alberta, financed with $30-million from the federal government, is expected to create 1,650 jobs to clean up some old oil and gas wells.

The conventional oil and gas industry is leaving a massive mess in Alberta. Regan Boychuk traces how it happened and shows how industry - not taxpayers - should be made to pay.

According to the regulator, Lexin has failed to comply with multiple orders and doesn't have enough staff to manage its more than 1,600 sites.