Saskatchewan proposes getting laid-off oil workers to clean up abandoned wells

REGINA – The Saskatchewan government is proposing to possess gas and oil workers who’ve lost their jobs clean up abandoned wells.

Premier Brad Wall says this program is needed stimulate employment within the oil-and-gas sector by accelerating cleanup of wells no longer capable of production.

Wall says it would accelerate decommissioning and reclamation of just one,000 non-producing wells over the next 2 yrs and generate 1,200 jobs.

Work would come with safe removal and disposal of old equipment, remediation associated with a spills and revegetation of the land.

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But the proposal calls for $156 million in federal funding.

Wall says he has spoken with and written to Pm Justin Trudeau about the idea.

“Saskatchewan hosts a high power of energy service sector companies and their employees, a lot of whom are now unemployed,” Wall said Monday at the legislature.

“Fundamental essentials professionals who would be best suited to well cleanup.”