As two of the key drivers of the provincial economy, the agriculture and energy industries are equally important to the well-being of communities across the province, including in West Central Alberta.
Generating employment and revenue used to finance schools, hospitals, roads and a myriad of other things, the industries are, and always have been, vital to the ongoing success of the province.
Unfortunately, as the joint users of lands in the province, the industries have sometimes come into conflict in terms of access and development.
In an effort to improve the relationship between the oil and gas industry and the agriculture industry, the provincial Farmers' Advocate Office (FAO) has launched a new public awareness effort.
The effort aims, in part, to increase the basic understanding of ethics when it comes to the multiple uses of rural lands.
“While there are many excellent companies and land agents, unfortunately there are also some who use questionable ethics in their negotiations with farmers and ranchers,” said FAO spokesperson Carol Goodfellow. “The FAO believes that it is important that landowners are treated fairly and respectfully.”
A big part of ensuring that farmers and ranchers have their rights respected when it comes to resource development on their lands is honesty and integrity on the part of oil and gas representatives, she said.
“Agreements should fully disclose all impacts of the development and be forthright about the future intentions of the project as they relate to the landowner,” she said. “Furthermore, the agreement should detail all commitments that were formed during the discussions.”
The Sundre Petroleum Operators Group (SPOG) is made up of oil and gas companies with operations in West Central Alberta. It also includes association members such as Mountain View County.
SPOG has implemented a proactive engagement process that its officials say “ensures that information is available to the public (including farmers and ranchers) on industry projects, and where applicable, that the community has ample opportunity for input early in the design of bigger projects. Unique performance measures are created that the community uses to audit the company performance for each project.”
As one of the representatives of the oil and gas industry in this region, SPOG's past efforts have proven helpful in addressing farmers' and ranchers' concerns about petroleum development, says SPOG executive director Tracey McCrimmon.
The agriculture and energy industries are key to the well-being of Alberta, including to the success of West Central Alberta rural communities. As such, this ongoing work by the Farmers' Advocate Office and by SPOG should be applauded.
