Here you will find links to resources, news articles, information, and more about inactive oil wells in Alberta. Please familiarize yourself with this important literature before you consider adopting one of our orphan wells. If you would like to suggest a resource, please visit our contact page.

Alberta Energy Regulator on the Orphan Well Association: http://www.aer.ca/regulating-development/project-closure/liability-management-programs-and-processes/orphan-well-association

Orphan Well Association Inventory http://www.orphanwell.ca/pg_orphan_well_list.html

Orphan Well Association – Taking Orphans http://www.orphanwell.ca/pg_TakingOrphans.html

Alberta Energy Regulator on Closure: Abandonment, Remediation and Reclamation http://www.aer.ca/documents/enerfaqs/Closure_FS.pdf

Redwater Case 

Supreme Court of Canada Case Summary – Orphan Well Association v. Grant Thorton Ltd.  http://www.scc-csc.ca/case-dossier/cb/2019/37627-eng.aspx

Supreme Court rules energy companies must clean up old wells — even in bankruptcy http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/supreme-court-redwater-decision-orphan-wells-1.4998995

Why the Supreme Court put provincial regulators first in the Redwater oil wells case http://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/commentary/article-why-the-supreme-court-put-provincial-regulators-first-in-the-redwater/

What the Redwater ruling means for Alberta’s thousands of inactive oil and gas wells http://thenarwhal.ca/what-the-redwater-ruling-means-for-albertas-thousands-of-inactive-oil-and-gas-wells/

Putting the Supreme Court’s Redwater decision in context http://www.nationalobserver.com/2019/02/01/opinion/putting-supreme-courts-redwater-decision-context

The catch-22 of the Redwater case. Who gets the profits from selling a bankrupt oil and gas company? http://www.pembina.org/blog/catch-22-redwater-case

Canadians Should Be on Red Alert over Alberta Redwater Energy Case http://theleap.org/portfolio-items/redwater-oped/

Fight over bankrupt oil company lands at Supreme Court http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/redwater-orphan-wells-supreme-court-1.4533626

News | Articles | Opinion

Orphan Oil and Gas Wells Raise Contamination Fears on Northeast BC farmland  http://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/british-columbia/article-orphan-oil-and-gas-wells-raise-contamination-fears-on-northeast-bc/  

Alberta failing on Risk from Leaking Oil Gas Wells, Says Expert  http://thetyee.ca/News/2017/07/04/Alberta-Failing-Leaking-Oil-Gas-Wells-Risk/

Lexin Resources and the dark side of Alberta’s downturn http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/lexin-resources-what-went-wrong-1.4038838

Lexin bankruptcy leads to millions in rising costs for Orphan Well Association http://calgaryherald.com/business/energy/lexin-resources-bankruptcy-leads-to-millions-in-rising-costs-for-orphan-well-association 

Energy Industry Legacy: Hundreds of Abandoned Wells Leaking Methane in Alberta Communities https://thetyee.ca/News/2017/06/28/Energy-Industry-Legacy/

Alberta offers $235M loan to clean up orphan wells http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/orphan-wells-notley-announcement-plan-cleanup-alberta-province-1.4121235 

Critics say abandoned Alberta oil wells pose environmental risk http://www.ctvnews.ca/business/critics-say-abandoned-alberta-oil-wells-pose-environmental-risk-1.2499977

INTERACTIVE: The hidden cost of abandoned oil and gas wells in Alberta http://globalnews.ca/news/2307275/interactive-the-hidden-cost-of-abandoned-oil-and-gas-wells-in-alberta/

‘Orphan’ wells left behind in oil slump http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/alberta/orphan-wells-left-behind-in-albertas-oilslump/article29301010/

Alberta group tackles growth in abandoned oil wells http://www.producer.com/2016/11/alberta-group-tackles-growth-in-abandoned-oil-wells/

Alberta sees huge spike in abandoned oil and gas wells http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/alberta-sees-huge-spike-in-abandoned-oil-and-gas-wells-1.3032434

Further Reading & Resources

Reclaim Alberta Learning Centre

An Orphan Well and a Power Station A Golden Opportunity for Clarity as to Orphan Well Laws (Including Urban Areas) DORIN LAND AND OILFIELD MANAGEMENT INC. DORIN. An Orphan Well and a Power Station

The Inactive Well Compliance Program: Alberta’s latest attempt to bring the inactive well problem under control By Barry Robinson http://www.ecojustice.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/IWCP-Paper-FINAL-20-Nov-2014.pdf

Landowners’ Guide to Oil and Gas Development 3rd edition (Book): http://www.pembina.org/pub/landowners