https://www.nationalobserver.com/2020/01/20/news/three-oilpatch-companies-charged-sour-gas-leak
[In other news related to the AER, it is being downsized and
re-organized.
https://calgaryherald.com/business/energy/dozens-laid-off-as-aer-restructures-following-provincial-budget-cuts
links in online article]
Three oilpatch companies charged in sour gas leak
By Emma McIntosh in News, Energy | January 20th 2020
The Alberta Energy Regulator has charged three companies for allegedly
releasing toxic gas that “impacted human health” near a town in the
northwestern region of the province in 2018.
The gas was hydrogen sulphide, a toxic substance that smells like rotten
eggs and can be fatal in high doses, the regulator said Monday. The
charges are against Calgary-based natural gas producer Tourmaline Oil, a
Tourmaline-controlled spinoff company called Topaz and CWC Energy
Services Corp., a drilling and well-servicing company.
The gas was released on Feb. 25, 2018, near Spirit River, a northwest
Alberta town that’s a five-hour drive from Edmonton.
In a press release, the AER didn’t elaborate on how the hydrogen
sulphide affected human health. Also known as H2S or sour gas, hydrogen
sulphide can sometimes leak from the wellheads, pump jacks, pipes, tanks
and flare stacks of oilfields.
H2S is colourless and can cause permanent disabilities, even at
non-fatal doses. In Canada, it has sickened and killed oilfield workers
and, in one case, killed livestock in Saskatchewan.
The AER press release also didn’t include exact details on how the
incident happened, where the H2S was released, how high concentrations
of the gas were and how many people were affected.
"To ensure each company has a right to a fair prosecution, the AER
cannot release any further details," said AER spokesperson Shawn Roth in
an email.
However, the regulator previously noted the incident and a follow-up
investigation in its compliance dashboard, an online database of energy
industry-related incidents. In its initial report, the AER said it
happened during "servicing operations" at a well and that there were "no
impacts to wildlife or waterbodies."
The regulator noted that the incident was reported on Feb. 28, 2018,
three days after it happened. The report also said that the amount of
gas leaked was less than 0.1 cubic metres, or about 100 litres.
On Aug. 9, the AER passed the case on to the Alberta Crown Prosecution
Service to decide whether charges should be laid, the regulator said.
Five charges have been laid against both Tourmaline and Topaz: two
counts of knowingly releasing a substance that caused or may have caused
an adverse affect, two counts of failing to report the incident as soon
as possible and one count of failing to obey AER requirements around
well safety.
CWC Energy Services faces three charges, two for releasing a substance
that caused or may have caused an adverse effect and one for failing to
comply with well safety rules.
The charges aren’t criminal, falling under Alberta’s Environmental
Protection and Enhancement Act, and the Oil and Gas Conservation Act.
The companies’ first court date will be Feb. 19 in Grande Prairie, Alta.
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