Rocky View County will be drafting a resolution concerning oil and gas development to present at the next Alberta Association of Municipal Districts and Counties (AAMD&C) meeting, this fall.
The decision was made July 19 to try to force oil companies to increase their notification area, which now includes residents within 200 metres of the proposed site, when drilling oil and gas wells.
The move came as a result of complaints from a number of Springbank residents, who recently learned about six oil and gas wells planned for their predominantly residential acreage area.
“I just feel like an unarmed citizen,” said Shaun Marty, who lives adjacent to a proposed well. “It’s like David and Goliath... what do you do?”
Councillors also agreed to a number of other steps, including inviting representatives from the Energy Resources Conservation Board (ERCB), the organization that handles public concerns about oil and gas activity in Alberta, to attend a public meeting at Rocky View.
The County will also post a link to the ERCB’s website to provide residents with information on its website, communicate relevant information about the regulatory organization’s complaint process and revisit existing road use policies that govern use of the road by large vehicles.
Division 2 Councillor Kim Magnuson expressed frustration about the lack of information she received, saying she was caught off guard when residents began contacting her about the proposed wells.
According to Rocky View’s operations manager, Stuart Jewison, the County has the same rights as the residents when it comes to oil and gas activity.
“The approval of these operations has been taken out of our hands by the Province,” he said. “We can’t deny access to a public road for these companies, but we can control access.”
Division 9 Councillor Paul McLean said he has been informed that there could up to 100 new wells in his area within the next two to three years.
“This is not just a Springbank phenomenon,” he said. “It’s a new reality in this area of Rocky View. We have very little we can do, other than how (oil and gas activity) relates to the roads.”
McLean added that some Division 9 residents have the same concerns about the changing landscape and that knowledge about both the County’s and resident’s roles in the process is critical.
Division 7 Councillor Lois Habberfield said residents have an advantage over municipalities, as their legal bills to fight siting of wells will be covered by the ERCB, while Rocky View would be on the hook for its expenses.
“If we had to cover the legal bills whenever we opposed oil wells... that could be huge,” said Habberfield.
John Bearnes, a 15-year resident of the area, said he, and a number of his neighbours, have written letters to the ERCB and are now examining their options for proceeding.
“It’s a prime residential area and we have a number of concerns including traffic, property values, our water wells,” he said.
“Any help that we could receive from Rocky View would be greatly appreciated.”
