The Office of the Regulator of Oil and Gas Operations (OROGO) was established on April 1, 2014, due to the transfer of responsibility for public land, water and resource management to the Government of the Northwest Territories from the federal government. OROGO supports the Regulator in carrying out their statutory responsibilities under the Oil and Gas Operations Act and the Petroleum Resources Act.
The Regulator regulates oil and gas works and activities for the primary purposes of ensuring human safety, environmental protection, and the conservation of oil and gas resources. The Regulator’s mandate does not include promoting oil and gas-related development.
The Regulator has jurisdiction in the onshore Northwest Territories, except for the Inuvialuit Settlement Region and lands that were not transferred from the Government of Canada to the Government of the Northwest Territories on April 1, 2014. Within these boundaries, the Regulator has jurisdiction over oil and gas activities on Aboriginal settlement lands as well as other private lands. The Regulator does not have jurisdiction over transboundary pipelines.
The Regulator makes appointments and may delegate certain powers under the Oil and Gas Operations Act and the Petroleum Resources Act.
OROGO’s staff complement consists of the Executive Director, the Senior Technical Advisor, the Technical Specialist, and the Regulatory Information Officer. OROGO receives technical advice and support through service agreements with the Canada Energy Regulator and the Alberta Energy Regulator.
OROGO prioritizes building and maintaining resilient working relationships with other regulators by participating in organizations that bring regulators from other jurisdictions together and establishing direct relationships through agreements.