A major oil and gas player is putting new money into land reclamation research.
Calgary-based EnCana Corp. is behind a five-year $1-million commitment to support a new research chair at the University of Calgary geared to investigating innovative methods that will limit the energy industry's impact on ecosystems in Western Canada.
The creation of the EnCana Chair in Canadian Plains Mitigation and Reclamation at the U of C's faculty of environmental design will see the establishment of a small research team later this year that will work at arms-length from EnCana.
Results will not be proprietary and will be shared with the industry at large.
"We've painted a broad picture. It's a very wide open mandate," says Cam Cline, team lead of stakeholder engagement for EnCana. "We assume they'll have suggestions of things to try - even with what exists now, to see if it can be done better."
The need for the new research chair is vital, according to the U of C.
Because the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin is maturing, industry will explore new areas for development and this in turn will require the best available mitigation practices. Also, thousands of mature wellsites also require proper reclamation as they reach the end of their production cycle.
"The area is ripe for research," says Loraine Fowlow, interim dean of the U of C's faculty of environmental design. "Oil and gas exploration continues to expand in new areas in the province, meaning that the research will become even more significant."
EnCana's Cline says while progress has been made over the past couple of decades in the areas of mitigation and reclamation, "as we move into the future we have to refine our work - we need to know the right things to focus on."
"Technologies have been changing over the years. We don't clear leases any more; we use techniques that minimize ground disturbance," he says.
"At the same time, there's an increasing awareness that as a society, we need to balance off needs for oil and gas with the need to protect the environment. The more we know about the things we do, the more that will minimize our effects on the ecosystems."
The exact track of the research is dependent on the person hired to fill the position, says Fowlow, adding it is hoped the post will be filled by July following an international search.
The chair, including a team of possibly three to six researchers, will likely look at setback distances, timing restrictions for species at risk and the effects of fragmentation, which includes whether alternative methods of construction and reclamation can be effective in reclaiming the landscape.
The chair will also have the flexibility and independence to explore practices across multiple companies to gather an all-encompassing perspective in order to develop best practices. Research results could start flowing at various points throughout the five-year term.
Although the position is based in Calgary, any results are expected to have a much wider impact.
"We're focusing on southern Alberta, the Prairie plains for the research," says Fowlow. "But the ecosystems know no boundaries, so this is an area that can extend past the U.S. border into Montana and this type of environment can also be found in southwestern Saskatchewan."
While the oil and gas sector is no stranger to mitigation and reclamation activities, the new research is being welcomed. Over time, governing regulations change and industry needs to find new ways to meet the modified requirements.
"We have been required to do reclamation to mitigate our activities, since probably Day 1. What this (new position) talks about is an improvement on our practices," says David Pryce, vice-president of operations for the Calgary-based Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP).
"I think it's critical. I think the public has clear expectations that we minimize our impact, minimize our footprint. The other thing to bear in mind is there are rules in place that companies must follow, so we're constantly looking at ways to do that more effectively."
CAPP says that it already spends about $1 million a year on environmental research, while leveraging value where it sees opportunity.
"There are lots of research entities out there, we would all benefit from a good collaborative approach," adds Pryce.
He notes groups such as the Petroleum Technology Alliance Canada are also industry-funded, "so I see some synergies between some organizations like that and this research chair."
Meanwhile, some environmentalists have expressed concern over the timing of the announcement of the new position, as EnCana has a major southeastern Alberta drilling application under review by both the federal and Alberta governments.
That hearing, for drilling in the Suffield National Wildlife Area, began Oct. 6 and concluded Oct. 31, with the panel expected to deliver its report within 90 days.
However, EnCana and the U of C made their announcement on the new chair in early December and say the position was under discussion and planned for quite some time.
(Laura Severs can be reached at laura@businessedge.ca)
