Posted inClimate, Energy, News, Politics and Government

First comprehensive oil and gas drilling plan under Colorado’s new regulations gets go-ahead

Colorado’s first comprehensive oil and gas development plan — a new mechanism aimed at better assessing and managing the cumulative impacts of drilling — was approved by state regulators Wednesday, paving the way for more than 200 new wells in Weld County. Kerr-McGee, a subsidiary of Occidental Petroleum Corp., got a greenlight from Colorado Oil […]

Posted inBusiness, Climate, Energy, Environment, News, Politics and Government

Colorado oil and gas companies said a 2019 state law would destroy them. That didn’t happen. But here’s what did.

The demise of the oil and gas industry in Colorado — predicted after the passage of legislation and regulations focused on protecting public health, safety and the environment — does not appear to be imminent. Plans for nearly 1,900 new oil and gas wells are before the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission in 2022 […]

Posted inBusiness, Climate, Economy, Environment, News, Technology

Here’s how Colorado oil and gas companies say they are getting to net-zero emissions

Soon after Bayswater Exploration & Production installed Project Canary devices next to a few sites it was drilling for oil and gas, an alarm would go off at different times and at different locations. The alarms indicated there was a methane leak.  But where?  An alarm would stop but start up again, seemingly randomly. The […]

Posted inBusiness, Energy, Environment, Health, News, Politics and Government

Broomfield’s “best practices” for oil and gas are held up as a model. But they don’t curb neighbors’ complaints.

Broomfield has been a leader in local regulation of oil and gas drilling, and its approach is being held up as a formula for allowing more drilling in suburban areas. But residents caution that while things may be better in Broomfield, that doesn’t make them good. Even with 147 required “best management practices” for operators, […]

Posted inBusiness, Energy, Environment, Health, News, Politics and Government

Colorado’s largest oil and gas producer wants permission to drill closer than 2,000 feet from homes

The buffer between homes and oil and gas drilling in Colorado is by rule 2,000 feet,  except when it isn’t, and a move to drill in the middle of a residential area in Firestone is raising questions about how secure that buffer will be. The state’s biggest operator, Occidental Petroleum, through its Colorado subsidiary Kerr-McGee, […]