Regulators reacted to the appeal of 6 environmental groups that say data for individual drilling projects isn’t helping solve Colorado’s regional pollution problems
COGCC
Posted inBusiness
Colorado requires drillers assess “cumulative impacts”of oil and gas wells. Does it make a difference?
6 environmental groups want regulators to toughen rules to consider regional and climate impacts of increased drilling activity in Colorado.
Posted inBusiness
A quarter of Colorado’s 981 orphan wells went dormant when one natural gas gathering system was shut down
Adams County was especially hard when Third Creek pipelines were dismantled because of safety concerns. Small operators walked away from 225 wells.
Posted inClimate, Energy, News
Oil and gas and cryptocurrency miners are Colorado’s new odd couple. And they’re making quite a bit of coin.
JACKSON COUNTY — Tan pump jacks, 140-year-old oil field technology, bob up and down amid the purple sage in this rural corner of Colorado, lifting oil from deep below and also fueling a very 21st century frenzy: cryptocurrency mining. The pump jack wells are tied to natural gas generators powering trailers filled with bitcoin mining […]
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, Energy, Environment, News
Colorado gives oil and gas company 6 more months to clean up its act. If not, KP Kauffman faces nearly $1 million in fines — or worse.
Frustrated, but patient, state oil and gas regulators on Monday gave the troubled KP Kauffman Co. one more, six-month chance to clean up its act or face close to $1 million in fines — or worse. The Denver-based oil and gas operator, which runs 1,200 low-producing wells around the state, is under an agreement to […]
Posted inBusiness, Energy, News, Politics and Government
Kerr-McGee’s plan to drill oil and gas wells within 2,000 feet of homes in Firestone is rejected by regulators
A bid by the state’s largest oil and gas producer to drill 26 wells within 2,000 feet of 62 homes in Firestone was rejected Thursday by Colorado regulators. It was the first major test of the state’s requirement that oil and gas drilling be set back at least 2,000 feet from homes and schools. Both […]
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 inNews
Colorado regulators overhaul rules to ensure there’s money to clean up orphan wells
Colorado oil and gas regulators Tuesday adopted complex financial assurance rules aimed at guaranteeing there is enough money to properly plug all the wells in the state — especially the ones that are low-producing or left orphaned by defunct drillers. The rules come after months of hearings that pitted environmental and community groups that wanted […]