Land

Land reclamation

The industry’s goal is to return the land to an equivalent capability once production is complete. This commitment covers all aspects of industry activity.

For example, when a company decides to abandon a well, it follows a comprehensive land reclamation process. This includes:

• complying with regulations that set high standards for cementing the wellbore, removing surface facilities and restoring the productivity of the land
• safely removing hydrocarbons, salt or chemicals from soil and groundwater, as needed
• grading and contouring disturbed land
• replanting the land with vegetation in ways that meet regulations and are consistent with local land use
• applying for certification from regulators, which indicates that the site has been returned to equivalent land capability

In 2002, oil and gas companies participating in CAPP’s Stewardship Program successfully reclaimed almost 1,800 wells. About 17,000 abandoned wells are in various stages of reclamation.

The industry also takes steps to responsibly manage the risk and abandonment of “orphan” wells (well sites for which the licensed operators no longer exist or cannot be traced). Since 1992, industry, in partnership with regulators, has funded a program in Alberta to manage the abandonment of orphan wells.

For decommissioning industrial sites such as gas plants and oil processing facilities, companies work out detailed long-term plans in consultation with government officials and other stakeholders such as municipalities and local communities.

The industry also has significant impacts on the land through surface mining of oilsands in northern Alberta. Once oilsands mining in an area is finished, reclamation of the disturbed area begins. This process involves re-contouring the site to fit with the landscape, replacing topsoil, and re-vegetating the area.