Petro-Canada Proposed Sour Gas Pipeline

Petro-Canada has applied to the Alberta Energy and Utilities Board (now the Energy and Resources Conservation Board) for the following licences and permits:

• licences to drill eleven gas wells containing a maximum hydrogen sulphide (H2S) concentration of 14.58 per cent from five different surface locations, pursuant to Section 2.020 of the Oil and Gas Conservation Regulations (OGCR)

• a licence to construct and operate one multiwell gas battery that would have a maximum H2S content of 15 per cent, pursuant to Section 7.002(1) of the OGCR

• permits to construct and operate two pipelines that would transport gas containing a maximum H2S content of 15 per cent, pursuant to Part 4 of the Pipeline Act

We would find it difficult to imagine a more potentially dangerous project! It has the potential to allow future damage to wildlife, fish habitat, and the watershed.

This proposal should be shelved by the ERCB until the new Land Use Framework determines what type and degree of development is appropriate and safe for this critical area. Further hearings could be held after that time, although we believe this pipeline proposal needs to be scrapped entirely.

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Review the Environmental Submissions to the ERCB on the Sullivan Pipeline.

Read media articles about the pipeline and hearing.

Petro-Canada Sour Gas Wells and Pipeline Progress (The Saga)

The Petro-Canada proposal hearing commenced on November 12, 2008. This proposal seeks to gain approval for the drilling of 11 new wells, plus a 56 Km pipeline along the front range west of Longview. If approved, this proposal has the potential to open up this pristine landscape to further oil and gas exploration and development. The Pekisko Group strongly opposes the approval of this project.

After the Christmas recess the hearings recommenced on January 20th, 2009. Then a relationship between people involved in the hearing, one of them an ERCB employee, was revealed. This caused the hearings to be postponed. After an investigation the hearing was resumed in March. The hearings were finally completed and the lawyers had time to finish and submit their final written arguments. The ERCB then has 90 days to render a decision.

Then Suncor merged with (took over) Petro-Canada. The merger was completed on August 1, 2009 and was successful judging by Suncor's quarterly financial results released on November 6, 2009.

Another wrinkle occurred in November 2009 when the ERCB halted all approvals of sour gas wells due to a decision by the Court of Appeal of Alberta in the case of Kelly v. Alberta (Energy Resources Conservation Board), 2009 ABCA 349. In this case the appellants challenged the ruling by the ERCB to deny them standing in a hearing to allow Grizzly Resources Ltd. to drill two sour gas wells near their property. This may be important in that it appears to challenge how the ERCB determines who has standing in sour gas applications based on simple distance from proposed wells and other sour gas facilities.

Stay tuned...

• Big Loop Cattle Company

• Bar AD Ranches

• Stoney Nakoda 1st Nations

• Three Forks Cattle company

• Indian Graves Campground

• Blue Bronna Wilderness Camp

• The Burke family

• Stoney trail Ranch

• Buffalo Head Ranch

• Mt. Sentinel Ranch Ltd.

• Rocking P Ranch

• The Pekisko group

The Discretionary Participants included:

• The Dayment Ranch

• Blue Ridge Outfitters

• Defenders of Wildlife Canada

• Full Circle Adventures

• the Priddis Millarville Residents Association

• Alberta Wilderness Assoc.

• Cartwright D Ranch

• MD Ranchlands

• Leo D Puerzer

What is Sour Gas? This is natural gas (which is mostly methane) with a certain concentration of H₂S, or Hydrogen Sulphide. According to U.S. government health statistics, concentrations greater than 500 parts per million (that's .05%) can cause you to lose consciousness and can even kill you. Children and the elderly may die after being exposed to lower concentrations. The gas in the pipeline will be close to 15% H₂S. Read the CBC background story here.

Also, for more background on Hydrogen Sulphide, check out this Houston Chronicle web page.

In September of 2008, a particular question was included in Leger Marketing's Omni Alberta Study. The Survey showed that a large majority of people in Alberta agree that the government should put a moratorium on any further oil and gas development until the provincial government has finalized a land use framework to plan and balance future development for this sensitive region. The Land Use Framework (LUF) is currently forming the regulatory and planning structure to create land use plans for the defined six regions of Alberta. These plans are due late in 2009. Click here for the survey results

A coalition of groups is forming to oppose this application. They are emphasizing the importance of this area as a watershed and as one of the last tracts of native fescue grass in North America, not to speak of its value for recreation, hunting, wildlife habatitat, movie making and tourism. With water becoming ever more valuable to cities, towns, agriculture and industry in southern Alberta, the potential for damage to the foothills watershed by more industrial development is not work the risk.

The groups have issues a press release calling for a moratorium. Read the Press Release

The southern Alberta foothills are home to our ranching heritage and the genesis of the Calgary Stampede. Surveys have shown that the people of Alberta believe that this area should be protected in order to protect the watershed as well as its special history. Read more in this historical review.

In 1994, Amoco Canada Petroleum wanted to put in a road and drill a sour gas well in the Whaleback. The ERCB found the application deficient and decided against granting them approval. Read excerpts from that ERCB decision here. We believe that the area in which Petro-Canada wants to put their pipeline under the current application is equally critical to wildlife habitat and watershed protection. This project should also not be approved.