Oil and gas companies could avoid full reclamation of old well sites in Alberta if they put renewable energy projects on the disturbed land.
That’s one of several dozen ideas offered in a new report commissioned by the Alberta government. The reports looks at how to manage the province’s persistent oil and gas pollution problem, and contrasts sharply with moves by the same government to restrict renewable energy following a seven-month moratorium, and ensure companies provide full clean-up costs upfront for wind and solar projects.
The report, written by current Alberta Energy Regulator board member and long-time industry insider David Yager, says oil and gas well sites could be “utilized for solar power generation instead of undergoing full reclamation, delivering both environmental and economic benefits.”
Critics say the idea contradicts other government policies — especially around renewables, which could make it unrealistic.
“They justified that moratorium and the restrictions on the basis of end-of-life cleanup. Now they’re saying that, in a way, renewables could be used to help the oil and gas industry avoid its reclamation,” Phillip Meintzer, a spokesperson for the Coalition for Responsible Energy, said in an interview.
“Would someone even be allowed to put renewables on these well sites because of the restrictions that were put in place? I don’t know,” he said. The coalition, made up of environmental organizations, focuses on energy regulation.
It’s unclear how much remediation a company could avoid by installing renewables on its leases and is only one of many recommendations and ideas presented in the report. Meintzer wants more details to understand what’s on the table and just how much cleanup a company could avoid.
Meintzer says his organization is focusing on ensuring the polluter pays principle — the idea that a company is responsible for cleaning up the mess it leaves behind — is upheld and costs are not downloaded on to taxpayers.
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