British Columbia Mine Reclamation Symposium

New reclamation standards for oil & gas well sites and pipelines in the agricultural land reserve Jones, Peter

Abstract

All uses of land by the petroleum industry in British Columbia s Agricultural Land Reserve are subject to the Agricultural Land Commission Act and require the approval of the Commission. The Agricultural Land Commission adopted General Order 293/95 on April 10, 1995, and the requirements of this Order are now in effect. The purpose of General Order 293/95 is to streamline existing regulations and to clarify reclamation standards. The General Order will allow some oil and gas developments to proceed without making an application to the Commission, as long as the conditions of the Order are adhered to. The reclamation standards which have been adopted are similar to requirements currently in place in northwestern Alberta because similar landforms, soils, and land uses exist in the Peace River region of BC. In addition, adopting similar requirements provides consistency for the industry between adjacent jurisdictions, and allows BC to benefit from the years of experience and consultation with the petroleum industry which has occurred in Alberta. General Order 293/95 applies only to land in the ALR contained in the Peace River Regional District and the Fort Nelson-Liard Regional District.

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