Industry Sectors
This sector focuses on locating reservoirs and producing oil and natural gas.
What is Upstream?
These rights allow access to the land surface to develop subsurface resources.
What are Surface Rights?
The U.S. federal agency responsible for interstate pipeline regulation.
What is FERC?
Oil or gas that can be produced using traditional vertical drilling methods.
What is Conventional Oil or Gas?
The phase focused on feasibility, risk assessment, and regulatory preparation.
What is Planning?
Refining crude oil into gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel occurs in this sector.
What is Downstream?
This agreement compensates landowners for surface use related to oil and gas operations.
What is a Surface Lease?
Canada’s federal energy regulator overseeing pipelines.
What is Canada Energy Regulator (CER)?
A drilling technique that runs parallel to the reservoir to increase contact.
What is Horizontal Drilling?
Wells drilled to determine the presence of hydrocarbons occur during this phase.
What is Exploration?
Transporting oil by pipeline from a producing field to a refinery is primarily this sector’s responsibility.
What is Midstream?
A structure or activity within a right of way that may interfere with facility safety.
What is an Encroachment?
Beyond approving applications, regulating agencies conduct these activities to ensure conditions and commitments are being followed.
What are Inspections and Audits?
A stimulation method that increases permeability by fracturing rock.
What is Hydraulic Fracturing?
The phase involving construction of wells, facilities, and pipelines.
What is Development?
Drilling and operating wells that recover hydrocarbons from underground formations occurs in this sector.
What is Upstream?
A drilling or installation method used to avoid open trenching under roads or waterways.
What is Directional Boring (Directional Drilling)?
A participant who may submit evidence and question other parties in a hearing.
What is an Intervenor?
Heavy petroleum that must be heated or diluted to flow.
What is Bitumen?
Methods used after production declines to increase recovery.
What is Enhanced Recovery (EOR)?
Marketing finished petroleum products directly to consumers occurs in this sector.
What is Downstream?
These rights include the ability to explore for and extract subsurface resources.
What are Mineral Rights?
These four elements guide a regulating agency's final project decision, including approval conditions and ongoing oversight.
What are the Four Cs (Consideration, Conditions, Commitments, and Compliance)?
Ice-like structures containing methane trapped within water molecules.
What are Gas Hydrates?
The phase that focuses on closing facilities and restoring land capability.
What is Abandonment (and Reclamation)?