Alberta’s New Royalty Framework announced on October 25, 2007 included the following: "The government will implement shallow rights reversion to maximize extraction of the resource. Under this policy, mineral rights to shallow gas geological formations that are not being developed would revert back to the government and be made available for resale."

Shallow rights reversion means that the rights above the top of the shallowest productive zone in an agreement will be severed from the agreement at continuation. This will be in addition to the existing deeper rights reversion. Rights between the top of the shallowest productive zone and the base of the deepest productive zone will remain in the agreement.

Shallow Rights Reversion FAQs

Project Guidelines

The Department of Energy is holding a series of consultation meetings with a Working Group made up of members of the Government of Alberta, the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, the Small Explorers and Producers Association of Canada, the Canadian Association of Petroleum Land Administration and the Canadian Association of Petroleum Landmen.

• Meeting schedule  (as of September 2008)
• Shallow Rights Reversion Working Group 
• Shallow Rights Reversion Working Group Contact List
• Shallow Rights Reversion Open House
• Open House Slideshow 
• Open House Information Pamphlet

Feedback from Shallow Rights Reversion Open House  (This feedback was gathered following an open house held by the Department of Energy on September 4, 2008. The following notes were submitted at the Open House or via the internet and have been edited for readability and to ensure anonymity).

The Department intends to announce the final shallow rights reversion implementation plan by the fall of 2008. The plan will include details on timelines and how shallow rights reversion will apply to new agreements as well as existing agreements.

Maps shown of potential options for implementing shallow rights reversion, as presented on September 4th, 2008 at the Open House.

If you have any questions or comments please forward them to: