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 […]
LOGIC
Posted inNews
Colorado oil and gas wells are constantly changing hands. Some risk becoming costly “orphans” along the way.
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 […]
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 […]
Posted inBusiness, Crime and Courts, Energy, Environment, News
Colorado oil and gas company slapped with $1.6 million fine — one of the largest ever from state regulators
KP Kauffman, which operates 1,200 low-producing oil and gas wells on the Front Range, was fined $1.6 million by state regulators Monday for a string of violations from improperly storing waste to failing to report and address spills. It is one of the largest fines the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission has ever imposed […]
Posted inBusiness, Energy, Environment, News, Politics and Government
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 […]
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, Energy, Environment, Health, News, Politics and Government
Oil and gas does about-face as six-week overhaul of Colorado drilling regulations begins
The battle lines are drawn and the forces – from high-priced lawyers to homeowners cheek and jowl with drilling rigs – arrayed for marathon hearings, starting Monday, aimed at reorienting Colorado’s oil and gas commission from promoting development to protecting public health and the environment. Through a set of proposed rules, the operation of the […]