Alberta regulator halts hearing on sour gas wells by Scott Haggett; Editing by Andre Grenon, February 19, 2009, Reuters
Alberta regulators suspended a hearing on Thursday on a controversial plan by Petro-Canada (PCA.TO) to drill sour gas wells in southern Alberta after one of its workers began a personal relationship with one of the oil company’s employees. The Energy Resources Conservation Board, which regulates energy companies in Alberta, said it hired an investigator to determine if the relationship compromised the hearing or threatened its role as an impartial adjudicator. “It’s just to ensure the integrity of the process,” said Bob Curran, a spokesman for the board. The halt comes less than two years after the regulator was rocked by scandal after it hired investigators to spy on groups opposed to construction of a power line. That sparked the resignation of several key executives…. [Emphasis added]