The purposes of the OGC, outlined in Section 3 of the Oil and Gas Commission Act, are briefly summarized as follows:
- Regulate the oil and gas activities and pipelines in British Columbia;
- Provide for effective and efficient processes for the review of applications related to oil and gas activities or pipelines, and to ensure that applications that are approved are in the public interest having regard to environmental, economic and social effects;
- Encourage the participation of First Nations and aboriginal peoples in processes affecting them;
- Participate in planning processes; and
- Undertake programs of education and communication in order to advance safe and efficient practices and the other purposes of the Commission.
The BC Oil and Gas Commission offers a considerable amount of free spatial data: http://www.bcogc.ca/publiczone/gis.aspx