Canada's Aging Oil and Gas Infrastructure: Who Will Pay? The Public and Private Cost Recovery Frameworks

Abstract

This article examines the legal and practical issues surrounding the costs of reclaiming, remediating, and abandoning Canada’s aging pipelines, wells, and other oil and gas facilities as they reach their functional end of life. The authors address the recovery and distribution of these costs from two perspectives: the public regulatory and legislative frameworks in place in the key oil and gas producing regions of Canada; and the statutory, contractual, and common law framework through which private industry participants share or limit their liability.