Calgarians are calling on the Alberta opposition to step up to defend taxpayers from the high costs of cleaning up abandoned oil wells. The group, called Common Horizon Calgary and primarily made up of residents in the Calgary-Mountain View riding, is set to deliver a petition to MLA Kathleen Ganley. Ganley is the Alberta NDP’s shadow energy minister and the organization wants her support against any policy or legislation against the province’s Mature Asset Strategy, a plan that contains recommendations on how to manage Alberta’s “maturing oil and gas assets.” Common Horizon Calgary says that plan will shift the financial burden for cleaning up old oil and gas infrastructure from industry to taxpayers. “MLA Ganley’s constituents are asking her and the Alberta NDP to defend the polluter pays principle and speak out against using taxpayer money to pay for oil and gas cleanup costs – money that should be funding public services like health care or education,” the group said in a news release. The Orphan Well Association is the body responsible for cleaning up oil and gas sites left behind by companies who say they can no longer meet their obligations. Latest data indicate there are more than 7,000 wells that need to be decommissioned while there are more than 9,000 sites awaiting reclamation. The group has been gathering signatures from the community since August. The petition is expected to be delivered to Ganley’s office at 4 p.m.
