"Are you kidding" That was the response of NDP MP Heather McPherson (Edmonton Strathcona, AB), who has ridiculed Alberta Energy and Minerals Minister Brian Jean's plan to use taxpayer dollars to foot the bill for oil well cleanup. Additionally, McPherson said Jean and the Alberta government “think highly profitable oil and gas companies need less rules and regulations and more money from Albertans.”“Are you kidding me?” tweeted McPherson on Monday.“Is this the Beaverton?”.McPherson was commenting on Jean saying on Monday strong action would be taken by next fall to clean up Alberta’s growing backlog of unreclaimed oil and gas sites. “There are many oil wells to reclaim and the current system is unlikely to see them reclaimed,” said Jean to The Canadian Press. However, he said industry might need government funding to meet its legal obligations, lower municipal taxes, and a lighter regulatory approach.Jean responded by saying he has no appetite for public funds going to oil well cleanup. “Throwing public funds at oil and gas companies is not a palatable option at all,” he said.“It is not something I want to do.”He said it is set to begin consultations with landowners, the Rural Municipalities of Alberta, municipalities, surface rights owners, indigenous groups, and industry to find the best way to deal with this issue. Because of this, he said it "would be inappropriate for me to pre-suppose those discussions and take anything off the table." The Alberta government praised the progress of cleaning up abandoned and orphaned oil and gas wells in January after the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) reported industry had managed to clean up more than 8,000 sites in 2022..Alberta Energy Regulator says industry reclaimed 8,000 rogue oil wells in 2022.The AER said industry spent about $700 million to reduce the number of inactive wells to 83,000 from 91,000 — a reduction of around 9% — and exceeding legal requirements by about 65%.In total, the AER said more than $1.2 billion was spent on cleanup and closure work, including grants to service sector companies under the Alberta Site Rehabilitation program and other sources.
