BOE Report

Alberta on track for lowest oil and gas land sale revenue in decades

CALGARY - With only a few months left in the year, Alberta is on track to post its worst oil and gas land sales revenue in more than two decades.As of late August the auctions for land, in which the province leases out land rights to energy companies, have pulled in $209 million. "It's absolutely the worst that we've seen the 21 years that I've been doing this," said Winston Gaskin, president of Standard Land Company, which assists companies in buying land rights.In 2014 Alberta sold $494 [Read more]

Court hearings to begin this week into Enbridge cross-border oil pipelines

CALGARY - A U.S. court begins hearing arguments this week in a lawsuit that claims increased volumes of oilsands crude have been allowed to flow from Canada into the United States without adequate public input or environmental review.Indigenous and environmental groups filed a lawsuit late last year against the U.S. State Department and Secretary of State John Kerry in federal district court. Hearings start in Minneapolis on Thursday."Plaintiffs' members face increased risk of harm to their [Read more]

Pipeline fire on US side of border forces short evacuation for Canadians

EMERSON, Man. - Two homes in Manitoba that are just north of the Canada-US border were evacuated due to a natural gas pipeline fire.TransCanada says the company and emergency officials responded to the fire at the St. Vincent compressor station in Kittson County, Minnesota, at about 9 p.m. on Saturday.That's about a kilometre south of the border near Emerson.Residents who had to leave were allowed back to their homes two hours later, and the fire was completely out early Sunday morning.No [Read more]

Honeymoon over? Byelection loss ‘bad news’ for Alberta NDP: political scientist

CALGARY - A byelection loss for Alberta's NDP is "bad news" for the government and a sign that Calgarians may be suffering buyer's remorse after May's provincial election, says at least one political scientist.NDP Finance Minister Joe Ceci has acknowledged that a message was sent with Thursday's victory by the Opposition Wildrose in Calgary-Foothills.David Taras of Calgary's Mount Royal University says there is no way to sugar-coat it. "I think the honeymoon is over in Calgary and it didn't last [Read more]

Supreme Court rules in Chevron appeal over Ecuador environmental damages case

OTTAWA - The Supreme Court of Canada has dismissed an attempt by oil giant Chevron to block Ecuadorian villagers from using an Ontario court to collect billions in damages for environmental contamination.The 7-0 ruling allows the case to proceed in Canada, but it makes no finding on the merits of the long-running legal saga that has played out in courtrooms across the Western Hemisphere.The key issue at play was whether there was a real and substantial connection between the villagers and the [Read more]

Calgary-based Tervita cuts 15 per cent of corporate staff due to downturn

CALGARY - Calgary-based environmental services company Tervita says it has cut 15 per cent of its corporate staff due to the economic downturn.The privately held company, which is heavily involved in the oil and gas industry, did not disclose additional details in its announcement late Wednesday, including how many jobs the cut represents."These actions are in response to the prolonged downturn in the energy markets and the resulting decreased activity levels of our customers," said company [Read more]

Syncrude expected to return to normal rates around end of September

CALGARY - Canadian Oil Sands Ltd. is expecting the Syncrude oilsands development north of Fort McMurray, Alta., to return to normal production rates toward the end of the month.The update follows a fire over the weekend that damaged pipes, power and communication lines between two units of the Mildred Lake upgrader.Synthetic crude oil will be produced at minimal rates for the next two weeks as part of a phased recovery strategy.Synthetic crude is a light, easy-to-refine oil that is made by [Read more]

Both sides of climate change debate seeding grassroots before Alberta panel

EDMONTON - Advocates on both sides of Alberta's climate change debate are mobilizing their grassroots in hopes of influencing the panel that will recommend how the province should address the issue.In one corner, the "Energy Citizens," a group created by the Canadian Association Petroleum Producers of people who, according to the group's website, "play a role in spreading the word about the positive role energy plays in our lives every day."In the other, Greenpeace's newly launched "Get Fresh" [Read more]

Husky Energy reports major hydrocarbon release from pipe in subsea wells

ST. JOHN'S, N.L. - The regulator for the offshore oil industry in Newfoundland says Husky Energy (TSX:HSE) has reported a major hydrocarbon gas leak from a pipe linked to two of its subsea wells.The Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board says the gas release happened Monday in the southern drill centre in the White Rose Field.It says Husky estimates that 8,938 kilograms of natural gas was released before it was shut off 12 minutes after the initial alarm.Husky spokeswoman [Read more]

Northern Gateway spokeswoman Janet Holder remembered as passionate advocate

PRINCE GEORGE, B.C. - Janet Holder, the woman who spearheaded the Northern Gateway pipeline in British Columbia, has died following a long battle with leukemia. She was 58."Janet will be dearly missed by everyone at Enbridge," said Al Monaco, president of the Calgary-based company behind the project."In addition to Janet's many personal and professional achievements, she exemplified our values of integrity and respect. She had a passion to serve and mentor others, and an amazing way of [Read more]