VICTORIA — The Government of British Columbia has announced legislation it says will improve access to funding to clean up abandoned gas well sites in the province.
Bill 15, the Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources Statutes Amendment Act, 2018, will amend the Oil and Gas Activities Act (OGAA) and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Act, said a recent media statement.
Amendments to the OGAA would improve funding for orphan site restoration by replacing the current tax structure with a levy to be paid into British Columbia’s Orphan Site Reclamation Fund (OSRF), an industry-funded program that addresses the cost of restoration and environmental clean-up, the statement explained.
The levy will be set by the BC Oil and Gas Commission board with Treasury Board approval. It is said to provide a more flexible way to secure funds for the OSRF.
Additional amendments will also limit orphan sites by granting the commission the ability to require permit holders to conduct restoration work on inactive sites, the statement said.
Other amendments to the OGAA will increase the commission’s authority to protect public safety and recover the costs associated with those activities.
“We are taking action to deal with the growing number of orphaned well sites by cleaning them up, as well as preventing this from happening in the future,” said Michelle Mungall, minister of energy, mines and petroleum resources, in the statement. “Industry will continue to be responsible for their activities, as we provide additional tools for the BC Oil and Gas Commission to protect the environment.”
Recent Comments
comments for this post are closed