B.C. quietly allowed an oil and gas giant to sidestep rules for more than 4,300 pipelines

B.C.’s energy regulator has the power to grant such exemptions — without notifying the public. Experts raise alarm about the process, saying the regulator is playing soft with fossil fuel companies

Zak Vescera
Read more posts by this author.

Zak Vescera,
Matt Simmons

2 April, 2025 • 4 min read

Share this story

B.C.'s energy regulator never announced publicly it had granted an exemption to more than 4,300 pipelines operated by Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)

Share this story

This investigation is a collaboration between The Narwhal and the IJF.

The British Columbia government quietly granted one of Canada’s biggest oil and gas companies an exemption for thousands of pipelines that should have been deactivated before a legal deadline, according to documents obtained under freedom of information legislation.

B.C. quietly allowed an oil and gas giant to sidestep rules for more than 4,300 pipelines

Zak Vescera

Zak Vescera,
Matt Simmons

Continue Reading:

Free

$14.27

17 government inspectors, 170 companies and more than 9,000 potential infractions: inside B.C.’s oversight of the oil and gas sector

44 ‘serious’ leaks reported at B.C. oil and gas sites in the past year

Mining company makes extra push by lobbying for coal mine in Crowsnest Pass

Death claimed the children: How historic documents could aid search for those lost to residential schools

A step closer to the truth: IJF database exposes new details about Canada’s residential schools