FAQ-Land-Wellsites

Matters of oil and gas in Alberta are a shared responsibility. The type of information you are looking for regarding wellsites will determine which Government body or agency you will need to contact for more specific information.

The Government of Alberta Ministries of Environment, Sustainable Resource Development, (including the Surface Rights Board – SRB) and Energy, (including the Energy Resources Conservatin Board - ERCB), each deal in some form with the drilling, access to, operation, maintenance, reclamation, and remediation of wellsites.

As a general guideline,

• The ERCB, on behalf of Alberta Energy, deals with all gas well activity, operation, maintenance, adjudication and regulation.
• Alberta Environment oversees reclamation and remediation activities on private land and Alberta Sustainable Resource Development oversees such activities on public land (see below).
• The Alberta Surface Rights Board deals with rights of access to wellsites on both private and public lands.

For more information go to the ERCB website, or phone (403) 297-8311.

Where can I find information on oil/gas well drilling and general operation?

In Alberta the Energy Resources Conservation Board (ERCB) is an independent, quasi-judicial agency of the Government of Alberta who adjudicates and regulates matters related to energy and utilities within Alberta to ensure that the development, transportation and monitoring of the province's energy resources are in the public interest. This is achieved through its activities in the application and hearing process, standards setting and regulation, monitoring, and surveillance and enforcement.

In this way, all inquiries regarding oil and gas development, transportation and monitoring within Alberta, other than site clean up and reclamation or remediation, should be directed to the ERCB. To find out more, visit the ERCB.

Where can I find information on wellsite reclamation or clean up?

Alberta's Upstream Oil and Gas Reclamation and Remediation Program ensures that land used for oil and gas development is restored to a productive state.

The program, developed in consultation with landowners, industry and other affected stakeholders, requires all upstream oil and gas sites on private and public land to be reclaimed when a site is no longer productive. Alberta Environment is responsible for reclamation of private land and Alberta Sustainable Resource Development for public land. Alberta Environment oversees the development of guidelines and documentation used to administer these parallel programs.

For more information, visit Alberta Environment's website on Land.

Where can I find information on sour gas wells and public safety?

In Alberta the Energy Resources Conservation Board (ERCB) is an independent, quasi-judicial agency of the Government of Alberta who adjudicates and regulates matters related to energy and utilities within Alberta to ensure that the development, transportation and monitoring of the province's energy resources are in the public interest. This is achieved through its activities in the application and hearing process, standards setting and regulation, monitoring, and surveillance and enforcement.

In January 2000, the ERCB (then the Energy and Utilities Board - EUB) struck the Provincial Advisory Committee on Public Safety and Sour Gas. Although established by the ERCB (EUB), it was created as an independent body.

The multi-stakeholder Committee's purpose is to evaluate existing sour gas policies, standards and regulations, report its findings, and give recommendations to the ERCB (EUB) for implementation by it and others, through public consultation and analysis.

For more information visit the website for the Provincial Advisory Committee on Public Safety and Sour Gas or the ERCB website.

Where can I file a complaint regarding access to a wellsite?

Most land in Alberta has two titles. The owner of the surface title has control of the land's surface and the right to work it. The owner of the mineral title has the right to explore for and produce oil, gas and other minerals from under that land surface. The surface owner's Certificate of Title is subject to the mineral owner's right to enter the land in order to work and remove the minerals. This approach to land rights is based on the assumption that obtaining oil, gas and other minerals is in the general public's interest.

Several important responsibilities apply to an oil and gas company's right to develop a well site on your land:

• The company must offer information to you about the development (e.g. the reason for selecting a particular location for the well site, the types of equipment to be used at the site).
• The company must follow regulations for environmentally and technically acceptable drilling and production.
• The company must operate in ways that cause the least possible interference with your use of the land.

For private lands that are rented, the details of the agreement between the landowner and renter should determine the specific role of the renter in the negotiation process.

For more information visit the Alberta Agriculture and Food website on Negotiating Surface Rights.

Return to Frequently Asked Questions