Ranch Energy Bankruptcy Dumps 401 Orphan Wells On B.C. For Cleanup

"The new oil and gas sites more than double the province’s orphan well tally, bringing it to 770, as dozens of Peace region landowners now await reimbursement from the BC Oil and Gas Commission for unpaid rents".

"For Arthur Hadland, the news that the BC Oil and Gas Commission has assumed responsibility for 401 orphan wells left by a bankrupt oil and gas company is both a blessing and a curse.

The blessing is that Hadland’s 99-year-old father — one of three dozen Peace region landowners with inactive wells on their properties following the bankruptcy of Ranch Energy — will finally receive almost $25,000 in overdue rent for two wells on the family’s grain and seed farm in northeast B.C."

Sarah Cox reports for the Narwhal June 18, 2020.