Regulatory board gives green light to 3 sour oil wells despite opposition

A contentious application to drill three sour oil wells near the hamlet of Tomahawk, southwest of Edmonton, has been approved by Alberta's Energy Resources Conservation Board.

The decision released Tuesday gives Highpine Oil and Gas the right to drill the three wells, but it does place several conditions on the venture.

Given the safety concerns expressed by parents of students attending the Tomahawk school and the school district, the energy board said the company can't work on two of the wells while school is in session due to their location.

Highpine can work on its third, more distant well when the students are at school, but it must have school buses, with drivers, on standby in case of an emergency, the board said in its 64-page decision.

"The board is convinced by the evidence before it that these wells can be drilled, completed, and serviced safely, notwithstanding their proximity to a school and hamlet," it said.

Tomahawk is about 100 kilometres southwest of Edmonton.