The B.C. government is moving ahead with cleanup and securing of more than 2,000 B次元官网网址渄ormantB次元官网网址� or B次元官网网址渙rphanedB次元官网网址� natural gas and oil wells, using federal funds to provide some industrial work in B.C.B次元官网网址檚 northeast region during the COVID-19 pandemic.

B.C.B次元官网网址檚 $120 million share of a federal fund will accelerate dealing with B次元官网网址渁n environmental stain on British Columbia,B次元官网网址� with more than 7,000 wells that are either dormant or orphaned by the collapse of the company that drilled them, Premier John Horgan said.

B次元官网网址淭his program will support upwards of 1,200 jobs, helping B.C. workers, the environment and the economy during these challenging times,B次元官网网址� Horgan announced May 13.

Applications for reclamation sites from local governments, landowners and Indigenous communities are being accepted beginning May 25, with oil and gas field service companies based in B.C. to do the work.

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With the oil and gas industry struggling with a world-wide price slump due to COVID-19 and a trade war between Saudi Arabia and Russia, the industry in B.C. and Alberta has seen an unprecedented slowdown. With Ottawa providing aid to millions of individuals and businesses to help them through the coronavirus pandemic, the well cleanup program is the only one so far that has been directed at oil and gas, CanadaB次元官网网址檚 largest industry.

Most of the cleanup fund, $100 million, is directed at dormant wells, those that have been out of production for at least five years, with little chance they will be restarted. The fund will provide up to 50 per cent of the decommissioning and cleanup costs, or $100,000, whichever is less.

Of the 25,000 oil and gas well sites in B.C., only 357 are considered orphaned, meaning the company that drilled them no longer exists or canB次元官网网址檛 be located. There is $15 million set aside for those. Another 7,685 are classified as dormant, and the new fund will augment B.C.B次元官网网址檚 existing reclamation program administered by the .

The accelerated program was welcomed by Indigenous leaders in northeastern B.C., where decades of drilling and processing have taken place.

B次元官网网址淭his is a win-win for the oil and gas sector and the environment,B次元官网网址� said Chief Sharleen Gale of the Fort Nelson First Nation. B次元官网网址淚t will bring much-needed local employment for former oil and gas workers and clean up dormant, legacy and orphan wells.B次元官网网址�

tfletcher@blackpress.ca
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