When the amount of oil and gas a company can extract from an oil well declines, many operators will cap the well to seal it temporarily just in case they wish to use it again in the future. These wells often sit in an inactive state for months or years and in many cases, they are completely abandoned. 

Abandoned wells are harmful to the environment because they leak methane and other gasses that cause climate change and pollute the surrounding ecosystem. It is important that these wells are properly reclaimed so that the ecosystems around them can heal and so that their effects on the climate are reduced.

There are currently twelve abandoned oil well sites in Jasper and Waterton National Parks in Alberta. These sites are exempt from reclamation due to the dates that they were drilled and their locations. Since they are on National Park land, they fall within the domain of the Federal Government of Canada and there are currently no plans to remediate these sites.

It is our goal to have these sites reclaimed but first we need to show the government and other potential supporters that people care about the issue.

By signing this petition and sharing it with others, you can help us clean up our national parks.