PARACHUTE – When it comes to oil and gas companies, Bob Arrington has seen them come and seen them go. Arrington has, in succession, wrangled with three different drillers all showing up at his Battlement Mesa doorstep. First there was Antero Resources, which sold out to Ursa Resources, which then went bankrupt with its assets […]
League of Oil and Gas Impacted Communities
Posted inBusiness, Environment, News, Politics and Government
Oil and gas regulators dial back rules that keep industry from sticking Colorado with bill for orphan wells
Trying to balance a mandate to ensure the state is not stuck with abandoned oil and gas wells against the financial needs of the industry, Colorado regulators have issued a revised plan that has buoyed operators and left environmentalists in despair. Gone from the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission’s initial draft rule for financial […]
Posted inBusiness, Energy, Environment, News, Politics and Government
Fine against KP Kauffman for leaks and spills upped to second largest ever by Colorado oil and gas regulators
After concluding that oil and gas operator KP Kauffman had engaged in “a pattern of violations” fines for the company were boosted to $2 million, the second largest penalty ever issued by the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. In August, the commission levied a $1.8 million fine on the company, known as KPK, for […]
Posted inBusiness, Climate, Energy, Environment, News, Politics and Government
Colorado regulators move forward with controversial new rule to slash greenhouse gas emissions
Colorado air quality regulators will move forward with a controversial, first-in-the-nation rule to curb greenhouse gas releases from oil and gas operators based on the intensity of emissions relative to their production. In the face of opposition from some local officials and environmental groups, the Air Quality Control Commission voted on Friday to set a […]
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Oil and gas company KP Kauffman may lose right to operate in Colorado due to alleged environmental violations
Oil and gas company KP Kauffman, under fire for a spate of alleged operating violations, is facing a proposed $3.7 million fine and the possible loss of its right to operate in the state as a three-day hearing on its case opens before the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission on Tuesday. The enforcement action […]
Posted inBusiness, Climate, Economy, Energy, Environment, News, Politics and Government
Colorado doesn’t want to foot the bill for abandoned oil and gas wells. Here’s how it will avoid picking up the tab.
Colorado oil and gas regulators looking to avoid a rash of abandoned and unplugged oil and gas wells are proposing to increase financial guarantees by operators for each of their wells — a price tag that could add up to billions of dollars. The draft financial assurance regulations, released by the Colorado Oil and Gas […]
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Two Colorado oil companies announce merger, the latest in a consolidating industry
In a sign of the continued pressure to consolidate drilling operations, two of Colorado’s midsized oil and gas companies on Monday announced an all-stock merger to create a new company worth $2.6 billion. Bonanza Creek Energy and Extraction Oil & Gas said they will combine to create Civitas Resources, controlling 425,000 acres of leases across […]
Posted inBusiness, Climate, Coloradans, Economy, Energy, Environment, News, Politics and Government
This Erie neighborhood is ground zero for Colorado’s collision of fracking and housing
Seattleites Sandra and Eric Duggan bought their house in Colliers Hill, a sprawling suburban development in Erie, sight unseen. Geoff Winterbourne purchased his Erie home while living in the San Francisco Bay area after a tour on FaceTime. “With the Colorado market the way it is, you only have three or four days to put […]
Posted inBusiness, Climate, Energy, Environment, News, Politics and Government
Colorado gave local governments more power to regulate oil and gas. And some are using it.
Empowered by a new state law and regulations, towns, cities and counties across the Front Range are flexing their muscle and moving to regulate oil and gas operations that come to town. Two years ago this month, sweeping legislation was signed into law reorienting Colorado’s approach to regulating oil and gas development. That in turn […]
Posted inBusiness, Climate, Energy, Environment, News, Politics and Government
Colorado regulators target tiny oil field device that’s a big contributor to greenhouse gas, ozone pollution
Colorado air regulators and oil industry engineers have been on the hunt for fugitive chemical emissions from drill sites and storage facilities for years, and they are now closing in on what may be “the last of the low-hanging fruit” – pneumatic controllers. The Air Quality Control Commission is set to take up a proposed […]