A total of $30 million will now be available to help close inactive oil and gas sites on reserve lands.
The Government of Saskatchewan announced an additional $10 million for the First Nations Stewardship Fund adding to a previous investment of $20 million.
The fund, under the Accelerated Sites Closure Program, will aim to address what the government hopes will be a significant portion of all inactive oil and gas sites on First Nations lands.
“The ASCP program and Stewardship Fund have been incredibly successful as the province has seen a large uptake in applications, with hundreds of companies cleaning up thousands of sites across the province,” Energy and Resources Minister Jim Reiter said in a media release. “The strong collaboration with the Centre of Excellence has helped ensure the program’s success through job creation and clean-up activities on Reserve lands.”
According to the province, the stewardship fund has been well-received by Indigenous leaders, communities and the oil and gas industry.
“The amount of work and dedication needed to undertake this environmental work is great, and it’s essential to include First Nations on initiatives like this, further demonstrating that when the province wants to partner with First Nations, it can, and such partnerships will benefit all,” said Vice Chief Heather Bear in the media release as well.
As of the end of July, the government says the fund has invested $17 million for 320 well abandonments and 189 site reclamations.
(Photo courtesy of Saskatchewan.ca)