Back to What's Happening

Dirty Cleanup Scheme: Alberta's plan to dump cleanup costs on taxpayers

Bob Weber, Alberta Views 2 min read

Originally published by Alberta Views

By Bob Weber
Published November 2025
Read the full investigation at Alberta Views

Albertans organizing against the Mature Asset Strategy at Calgary town hall

Veteran journalist Bob Weber’s investigation in Alberta Views confirms what landowners have been warning about: the Mature Asset Strategy is designed to shift $60 billion in oil well cleanup costs from companies to taxpayers.

Key findings:

  • The AER broke trust through inadequate spill reporting. Weber documents how independent researcher Kevin Timoney found 75% of spills recorded at 100% cleanup with no partial recoveries ever documented.

  • The “consultations” were rigged. 64 oil companies participated versus 5 rural municipalities. Bill Heidecker of the Alberta Surface Rights Federation called it “a Christmas wish list for industry.”

  • HarvestCo shifts risk to taxpayers. The proposed Crown corporation would take over marginal wells, privatizing profits while socializing cleanup costs.

  • David Yager’s conflicts. He sits on the AER board while authoring the strategy report and receiving $500,000 in sole-source government contracts.

  • Rural municipalities are owed $254 million in unpaid property taxes from oil companies. Another $200 million has been written off in the past decade.

What landowners say:

Dwight Popowich (Two Hills farmer): “We’ve lost trust in the industry regulator. When we lose trust in our institutions, we’re in trouble.”

Jennifer Stephenson (landowner): “We’ll get paid through the government, but you’re paying me and I’m paying myself. I don’t think many people understand that.”

Read the Full Investigation

Read Bob Weber’s complete 6,000-word investigation at Alberta Views →

The full investigation includes detailed analysis of AER spill reporting failures, the complete breakdown of all 21 MAS recommendations, interviews with landowners and legal experts, and evidence of political interference.

After you read it:

  1. Write your MLA - Tell them you oppose the Mature Asset Strategy
  2. Share the Alberta Views article - The more Albertans read it, the harder it is to push MAS through
  3. Support independent journalism - Investigations like this matter

Related Updates