All’s Well that Ends Well: Addressing Orphan Wells
Roundtable Luncheon with Brad Herald, Stacey Schorr and Blake Shaffer
Alberta has tens of thousands of inactive wells scattered across the province, with the inventory likely to grow in the future. Many of the wells that are or will become inactive will be owned by companies that go bankrupt, requiring other companies to foot the bill for their cleanup. With the recent rise in bankruptcy in the oil and gas sector, Alberta’s Oprhan Well Association has come under strain. As the Alberta government completes its review by the end of 2017 of how it sets liability for well cleanup, our expert panel will give you insight on what to expect from an improved well cleanup regime.
Brad Herald, Vice President, Western Canada Operations, Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers
Brad Herald is the Vice President, Western Canada Operations for the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers. Prior to assuming this position, Brad was the Director of Western Canada Operations. Brad also held the positions of Manager of Alberta, Saskatchewan, British Columbia and Health & Safety for the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers. Brad serves as the Chairman of the Orphan Well Association.
He has a degree in business administration from Saint Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia. Prior to coming to Alberta, Brad was the owner of a successful small business in Nova Scotia.
The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) represents companies, large and small, that explore for, develop and produce natural gas and crude oil throughout Canada. CAPP’s member companies produce about 80 per cent of Canada’s natural gas and crude oil. CAPP's associate members provide a wide range of services that support the upstream crude oil and natural gas industry. Together CAPP's members and associate members are an important part of a national industry with revenues from oil and natural gas production of about $120 billion a year.
Stacey Schorr, Assistant Deputy Minister, Resource Development Policy, Alberta Energy
Stacey is from the private sector where she had diverse work experiences, ranging from an environmental consultant, a senior research associate with an independent non-profit research organization, to most recently working as the Director of Sustainability at Encana.
In addition to diverse work experience, Stacey has a Bachelor of Science in Biology, a Bachelor of Education, Masters in Environmental Science and most recently she is completing her Doctorate of Social Science from Royal Roads University.
Stacey joined Alberta Energy in April 2017 as the Assistant Deputy Minister of Resource Development Policy.
Blake Shaffer, PhD candidate, University of Calgary and former Director of Energy Trading, Transalta Corporation
Blake Shaffer has extensive experience in the energy sector, with a specific focus on electricity markets. Blake enjoyed a 15 year career that took him from the trading arm of BC Hydro, to Lehman Brothers and Barclays Capital in NY as a senior energy trader, and finally as Director of Energy Trading at Transalta Corporation in Calgary, Alberta.
Blake returned to academia in 2014 to pursue his PhD in economics at the University of Calgary. He holds an M.Phil in economics from Cambridge University and a BSc (Honours) in environmental sciences from Queen’s University. Blake has served as a Policy Advisor for the Government of Alberta on various energy-related matters. He served on the 2015 Royalty Review Secretariat, playing a pivotal role in the development of Alberta’s modernized royalty framework. His research focus is on energy and environmental policy.
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