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News Release

May 28, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE    

ERCB PUBLIC SAFETY REPORT: RECORD NUMBER OF INSPECTIONS, COMPLIANCE RISES, BLOWOUTS DOWN, RECORD SULPHUR RECOVERY IN ALBERTA
Record low pipeline failure rate sustained; public complaints reduced 5 per cent

Grande Prairie, Alberta (May 28, 2009) The Energy Resources Conservation Board (ERCB) has released ST57 2009: Public Safety/Field Surveillance Provincial Summary 2008, an annual report that outlines oil and gas industry compliance results gathered from ERCB field inspections and investigations.

Highlights of the 2008 Report include:
 
• ERCB staff carried out a record 18,667 field inspections in 2008 compared to 16,408 in 2007.

• Compliance with major ERCB regulations increased to 98 per cent in 2008 from 97.5 per cent in 2007.
 
• In 2008, 29 blowouts occurred from a total of 244,000 non-abandoned wells in Alberta which represents a blowout rate of 0.118 blowouts per 1,000 non-abandoned wells in Alberta.

• The 2007 record-low pipeline failure rate of 2.1 per 1,000 kilometres of pipeline was matched again in 2008. 

• Sulphur recovery at gas plants reached a record level of 99.1 per cent. Sulphur emissions have been reduced by 49 per cent since 2000.

• The number of public complaints decreased 5 per cent to 744 in 2008 compared to 785 in 2007. The ERCB responds to 100 per cent of complaints and concerns.

In 2008, 26 Public Safety/Field Surveillance staff were hired, which allowed the ERCB to carry out more inspections, increase community and aboriginal outreach, and conduct more air monitoring operations.

In 2009, staff will focus on pipeline corrosion and increasing air monitoring activities. The ERCB will also prioritize operator awareness sessions to increase industry’s understanding of requirements and further improve compliance levels.

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For more information, contact:
Darin Barter, ERCB Communications
Phone:  (403) 297-4116
Cell :  (403) 681-0946  
Email: darin.barter@ercb.ca   

ERCB NR 2009-13