The Alberta farmers’ advocate office is collecting landowner information on surface leases, transmission lines, seismic and pipeline right of way agreements to develop four on-line maps.
The Surface Rights Land and Energy: Pricing Transparency Mapping Project seeks information on seismic and pipeline right of way agreements no older than 2011 and surface lease and transmission agreements no older than 2010.
The last major mapping project was in 2008, but the office relied on an outside contractor that contacted land agents rather than property owners, said Janet Patriquis of the advocate’s office.
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“The data we received before, we didn’t think had a wide enough spread of data,” she said.
The maps are scheduled to be released this fall and will show project details and compensation paid to landowners.
Landowners who are negotiating new projects or renewing a lease may find the information useful because compensation agreements are often confidential.
“There are so many landowners who go to do a renewal and they have no idea what they should be getting,” Patriquis said.
No agreements containing a privacy clause will be accepted. Participants will be required to sign a release according to the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.
Legal land descriptions will be shown but names and contact information will not be released through the maps.
For more information, contact Jeana Les by e-mail at jeana.les@gov.ab.ca or call toll free: 310-FARM (3276).
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