Alberta minister says urban drilling can be done safely

Alberta's energy minister says a review on how oil and gas development can co-exist in urban areaswill be finished next month.

"If there can be drilling the heart of Los Angeles there can presumably be drilling in some urban areas in Calgary, but what you need to do is ensure that you have appropriate setbacks and appropriate rules for that kind of activity," he said.

Lethbridge is one of many communities that is currentlyobjecting to drilling within city limits.

• Lethbridge council targets plan to drill for oil in city

A company has the mineral rights to land in southwest Lethbridge and it's applying to drill three oil wells.

The citypassed a resolution opposing the plan last month.

It says the project would create major costs in protective infrastructure andfreeze developments on land surroundingit.

However, the city has no jurisdiction over oil and gas development.

Hughes says theresources need to beextracted in a way that respects the fact it isin an urban community, but he believes it can be done safely.

It's not the first time the issue has registered in the province.

Residents in a Calgary communitycelebrated in Septemberafter Kaiser Energy scrapped its plans for an urban drill site near their homes.

They raised safety concernsabout the proximity of the well site to their homes in Royal Oak.

In the end, the oil company decided to move the well more than twokilometres awayto an old industrial site.