Frac’in’ farce ‘n shit show! AER tells landowners (ripped off by oil and gas companies) to reach out to Alberta Surface Rights Board and the gov’t even though AER knows full well that ASRB and Kenney/UCP only further harm Albertans harmed by oil and gas, and never come to our aid.

Is Action Surface Rights Association smoozing it up with AER again? Just another romantic dance between AER and the synergy group to prop up the corrupt AER, enabled by the War Room & Canadian Press?

2020 01 24: “Holy fracking hell, what a shit show.” RCMP might arrest you if you heed this – even on leases with unpaid rent on your own land. RCMP unjustly and grossly work for oil & gas companies, not Canadians harmed by those companies. NEB (now CER), AER, ASRB, Kenney’s War Room and Witch Hunt also serve the companies violating our contracts, our rights, our health, our loved ones and homes, our air, land and water, not us. 

Alberta Energy Regulator warns public against tampering with oil and gas facilities by Michael Franklin, Jan 25, 2020, CTV News with files from The Canadian Press

The Alberta Energy Regulator says it’s dangerous and illegal for anyone to tamper with oil and gas sites.

CALGARY — A provincial agency says the public needs to steer clear of oil and gas infrastructure because entering the sites and touching any of the equipment is dangerous and could lead to criminal charges.

The Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) released the notice Friday in response to a call from local landowners to ‘fight back’ against the companies in charge of the sites they say have defaulted on their leases.

“A person attempting to interfere with oil and gas infrastructure could expose themselves and others to hydrogen sulfide (H2S) gas, which is deadly in high concentrations,” the company said in a statement.

The AER allow warned that sabotaging any of the equipment could also cause explosions, fires and may even electrocute anyone who risks coming near.

Instead, the AER is encouraging residents who have problems with the surface lease payments to reach out to the Alberta Surface Rights Board and Alberta government if they haven’t already done so.

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UCP helping rural Albertans harmed/ripped off by oil & gas industry Reality Check:

Turned to Stone: How Quickly Jason Kenney Betrayed Rural Albertans, The premier makes small towns and farmers eat what’s owed by his downtown pals.

… Last week Kenney told towns they may have to eat $173 million in unpaid taxes from oil and gas companies — an amount doubled since last year — because they can’t expect to get “money from a stone.”

What does it mean when the premier says companies who’ve made billions off Albertans’ resources have turned to stone?

… Consider the ballooning problem of abandoned wells, which grows worse every year. Oil companies are washing their hands of formerly profitable drill sites and leaving landowners and municipalities holding the bag. Almost 100,000 orphaned or inactive oil and gas wells require reclamation at an estimated cost of $30 billion.

The “world-class” Alberta Energy Regulator — funded by the very industry they are tasked with overseeing — have [intentionally] secured less than one per cent of this amount. Instead of getting on with this important cleanup work, many of the companies responsible for the growing mess are now choosing not to pay their local taxes — with the apparent blessing of the premier.

… Not only has Kenney clearly telegraphed to companies that they need not pay their municipal taxes, his government appears to be signalling that even more assessment giveaways could be forthcoming for his favourite industry — on the backs of local governments.

Last year the Kenney government slashed property tax assessments for shallow gas producers by 35 per cent. The province offset local tax shortfalls in 2019, but this year Alberta’s small towns are expected to absorb the $20-million gift to the petroleum sector.

Unlike higher branches of government that can run rolling deficits, local governments in Alberta are required by law to balance the books, no matter what budgetary indignities are imposed by the province.

… It is important to remember it is not just municipalities being screwed by the Kenney government and the oil and gas sector, but local landowners as well. Farmers and ranchers with pump jacks and pipelines on their properties are increasingly complaining that companies are failing to honour the terms of lease agreements. [UCP loving farmers/landowners are getting what they vote for, decade after decade! It was obvious before the election that UCP was going to give every last bit of blood left in Alberta and her people to the polluting, law violating, contract-violating oil and gas industry,and abuse and steal from Albertans to do so.]

Masses more on this website.

End Reality Check

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“Albertans are invited to contact our 24-hour response line at 1-800-222-6514 if they have any safety concerns.”

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Phoning the AER/ERCB/EUB Reality Check:

Ernst was also told directly by AER (when it was EUB) to call the AER number in times of trouble with Encana. Ernst did, and either got no answer or was yelled at by the AER when she did get an answer for daring to call AER!

And, the “regulator” violated Ernst’s Charter rights, trying to scare her quiet and not publicly talk about Encana violating the Noise Control Directive and more, breaking the law, fracing and contaminating Rosebud’s drinking water aquifers. Try taking law-violating AER to court. Even our supreme court of Canada lies to cover-up for and enable the criminal AER.

End call-the-AER-for-safety-help Reality Check

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The Action Surface Rights Association, which brought up the concerns this week, represents about 200 landowners in Alberta. They say landowners are ‘getting the short end of the stick.’

“I get calls every day from landowners saying, ‘Hey, I got a notice. They’re cutting the compensation.’ There’s thousands of landowners in this situation,” said Daryl Bennett, a spokesperson for the association.

Rural municipalities have also said energy companies owe them approximately $173 million in unpaid property taxes for the energy facilities.

Public safety around oil and gas infrastructure News Release by AER, Jan 24, 2020)

For immediate release

Calgary, Alberta

The Alberta Energy Regulator’s mandate is to protect public safety and the environment, while ensuring the responsible development of Alberta’s resources.

We remind all Albertans that tampering with oil and gas infrastructure, such as turning off valves and cutting power to oil and gas sites, is unsafe and could lead to criminal charges.

A person attempting to interfere with oil and gas infrastructure could expose themselves and others to hydrogen sulfide (H2S) gas, which is deadly in high concentrations, and explosions, fires, and electrocution can result.

Landowners are encouraged to continue to work with the Alberta Surface Rights Board and Government of Alberta as it relates to surface lease payments.

Albertans are invited to contact our 24-hour response line at 1-800-222-6514 if they have any safety concerns.

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For more information, please contact:

AER Engagement and Communications
E-mail: email hidden; JavaScript is required
Media line: 1-855-474-6356
AERNR2020-01

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