More funding provided for the Dormant Sites Reclamation Program

VICTORIA, B.C. – The provincial government is again awarding $50-million, provided by the federal government, to projects cleaning up dormant oil and gas sites.

The second round of Dormant Sites Reclamation Program (DSRP) funding has prioritized applications from field service companies that have contracts to work on these sites nominated by Indigenous people, local government, and landowners.

Around 53 B.C.-based oil and gas companies are being funded to work on these sites. According to a Provincial release, the online nomination portal received 1,853 nominations for 1,464 dormant sites.

The second round of funding is for work on 715 of these dormant sites, 659 were nominated by Indigenous people, and 11 Indigenous-owned companies will be conducting the restoration work, including Halfway River Group.

“By working collaboratively with Indigenous Nations and seeking community input, the second round of the (DSRP) leverages local knowledge to restore oil and gas sites of concern,” said Bruce Ralston, Minister of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation. ”

This funding will benefit the environment while providing thousands of good-paying jobs for British Columbians.”

The funding for the DRSP comes from $120 million in federal funding. The funding was provided to promote job opportunities for oil and gas workers, said the province.

“The Halfway River Group, a collection of Halfway River First Nation businesses, would like to acknowledge that the processes implemented during the second round of funding for the Dormant Sites Reclamation Program has opened the door for our participation, incentivizing our inclusion, in a manner that was not available to us in the first round of funding,” said Brad Bonner, president, and CEO of the Halfway River Group.

“These opportunities cultivate an optimism and spirit that makes a visible and tangible difference within Indigenous communities.”

Currently, in B.C., there are 9,055 dormant well sites.