Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) inspection teams conducted a compliance sweep of 71 sites in the Peace River area from June 15 to 19 and shut in sites not meeting requirements, AER said July 3.

There were 16 sites, all operated by Murphy Oil Co. Ltd., the Canadian subsidiary of Murphy Oil Corp. (MUR), that were noncompliant. They did not meet requirements to capture and flare, incinerate, or conserve all casing gas and tank-top gases in accordance with their schedule, submitted to and approved by the AER. As a result, they were shut in or partially shut in. Partial shut-in involves shutting in only the piece of equipment that is in noncompliance, AER said.

Inspections will continue on remaining sites, and AER shut in or partially shut in an additional 17 sites that were venting venting casing or tank-top gas.

"Albertans expect the AER to protect public safety and the environment and to make sure operators follow the rules," said Jim Ellis, AER president and CEO . "The AER is committed to continued action in Peace River and ensuring all our requirements are met. When they are not, we will take enforcement action as we have demonstrated with these recent compliance sweeps."

All sites will remain shut in or partially shut in until the AER approves the operator's action plan to achieve compliance. Information about the investigation and noncompliances can be found on the AER's compliance dashboard.

Operators in the Seal Lake and Walrus areas submitted operating plans to the AER in June 2014 that included plans to capture tank-top gases as part of an air quality improvement effort in the Peace River area.

The AER has conducted six sets of targeted compliance sweeps since June 2014, inspecting 834 sites in the Peace River area.