The Alberta government’s Bill 24 is before the legislature. The purpose of this bill is to allow carbon dioxide sequestration and enhance oil and gas recovery.
The part that most commentators of this bill are missing is that with one shot, the Alberta government has taken away the property rights of landowners, with zero compensation. The bill states that the pore space required to sequester this C02 now belongs to the province and the landowner has no claim to his own property. This is, defacto, expropriation without compensation.
This is one more step in the government assault on Albertans’ property rights and is a continuation of a long list of legislation and regulatory changes that are moving Alberta landowners into a situation where property rights are becoming meaningless.
Bills 19, 46, 36, 50 and now 24 have all eroded and confiscated rights landowners had before, and in many cases those rights were fought for and attained over generations of struggle. We find it reprehensible that this government would continue to attack the landowners of this province so they can pander to big oil.
Doug Malsbury
Secretary
Alberta Surface Rights Group
Penhold