The decision by local officials to allow homes to be built on land near oil and gas drilling facilities without complete knowledge of buried pipelines in the area contributed to the fatal explosion of a house in Firestone in 2017, federal investigators say. “Contributing to the accident was the approval by local authorities to allow […]
Anadarko Petroleum
Posted inEnergy, Environment, Growth, Politics and Government
Colorado’s oil and gas battlefield (and campaign cash) is shifting to local elections
Gov. Jared Polis suggested Colorado’s “oil and gas wars … are over” when he signed sweeping new industry regulations into law this month. But really, the battlefield just shifted. The new law empowers counties and municipalities to exert more authority over oil and gas development, reversing the prior approach that gave the state preemptive control […]
Posted inBusiness, Energy, News
Chevron vaults into new league with $33B acquisition of Anadarko, one of Colorado’s largest oil and gas operators
By Michelle Chapman, The Associated Press Chevron will buy Anadarko Petroleum for $33 billion in a cash-and-stock deal, energizing its deep water exploration in the gulf and in the energy-rich southwest region of Texas called the Permian Basin. The deal announced Friday comes with U.S. crude prices up 40% this year and vaults Chevron into […]
Posted inEnergy, Environment, News, Politics and Government
Colorado oil and gas overhaul tips power toward local government. How that power is used will vary widely.
Before the city of Thornton adopted a new oil and gas ordinance, it got a letter from the state warning that it was overstepping its bounds. After the ordinance passed, the city was sued by the oil and gas industry. When Longmont adopted an ordinance that blocked oil and gas development in residential areas, it […]
Posted inBusiness, Energy, Environment, Politics and Government
The oil and gas industry is again spending big to stop more regulation in Colorado. This time, it’s not working.
The oil and gas industry is spending big money as it scrambles to halt a fast-moving bill aimed at giving state and local governments more power to regulate drilling. The campaign to influence lawmakers includes a misleading TV commercial designed to generate public opposition to the bill and the hiring of new high-powered lobbyists at […]
Posted inBusiness, Crime and Courts, Energy, Environment, News
Judge dismisses shareholder lawsuit against Anadarko filed after deadly Firestone explosion
A federal judge has dismissed a shareholder lawsuit that claimed Anadarko Petroleum sacrificed safety at its Colorado wells and pipelines to boost its profits. U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal ruled Wednesday the lawsuit didn’t support the claims against Anadarko and three of its executives. MORE: Oil and gas industry coverage by The Colorado Sun […]
Posted inBusiness, Energy, Growth, News, Politics and Government
Oil rigs may draw protests, but Colorado’s pipelines could get pinched by Democratic lawmakers
Oil rigs dotting the Front Range have been lightning rods of controversy and targets of protests, lawsuits, ballot measures and now an expected push at the statehouse for new regulations. But behind those drill rigs is a multibillion-dollar network of processing plants and pipelines that also could be affected. This part of the industry is […]
Posted inBusiness, Energy, Environment, News, Politics and Government
The top 10 corporate donors in Colorado’s 2018 election — and what they want
Seven of the top 10 organizations spending the most money in the 2018 election represent the oil and gas industry, a Colorado Sun analysis shows. The energy companies and allies are focused on two ballot initiatives and have so far spent $29 million on the effort to defeat Proposition 112, which calls for greater setbacks […]