B.C. regulator quietly let oil company delay decommissioning 4,300 pipelines

B.C. regulator quietly let oil company delay decommissioning 4,300 pipelines

British Columbia’s energy regulator granted Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. a long-term exemption from pipeline decommissioning rules without public disclosure, raising concerns about transparency and industry influence.Matt Simmons and Zak Vescera report for The Narwhal.In short:In 2020, the BC Energy Regulator allowed Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. (CNRL) to delay decommissioning more than 4,300 inactive or soon-to-be inactive pipelines, bypa…

B.C. allowed CNRL to sidestep rules for over 4,300 pipelines: docs

B.C.’s energy regulator has the power to grant exemptions — without notifying the public. Experts are raising the alarm about the process, saying the regulator is playing soft with fossil fuel companies that break rules

Provincial agency exempted oil and gas giant from rules for timely pipeline deactivation

The B.C. Energy Regulator exempted more than 4,300 such pipelines operated by Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. from the 18-month decommissioning requirements

B.C. quietly allowed an oil and gas giant to sidestep rules for more than 4,300 pipelines

This investigation is a collaboration between The Narwhal and the Investigative Journalism Foundation.