6 environmental groups want regulators to toughen rules to consider regional and climate impacts of increased drilling activity in Colorado.
PDC Energy
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, 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, Energy, Environment, Health, News
“Flaring” at oil and gas wells to be curtailed as Colorado regulators adopt some of nation’s strictest rules
Flaring, the practice of burning off gas from oil and gas wells, will be limited to a handful of state-approved circumstances under the most comprehensive rules in the nation, adopted Thursday by Colorado regulators. “We’ve done a good job for Colorado and the nation,” Jeff Robbins, the chairman of the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation […]
Posted inBusiness, Energy, Environment, Health, News, Politics and Government
Fight over Colorado setback rule sets up make-or-break hearing on how close is too close for oil and gas
Colorado regulators have spent more than a year overhauling the state’s oil and gas drilling rules, but on Tuesday they face revising what both industry and environmentalists see as the make-or-break rule: setbacks of oil and gas operations from homes and schools. “Setbacks will determine Gov. Jared Polis’ legacy on oil and gas and whether […]
Posted inBusiness, Energy, Environment, Health, News, Politics and Government
Every oil and gas well in Colorado must be pressure tested annually under new rules passed by regulators
Colorado regulators Wednesday adopted new rules to guard the integrity of oil and gas wells and protect groundwater resources — rules industry and environmental groups both called the most comprehensive in the country. The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission adopted the rules unanimously after a day-long hearing conducted on the Internet conference service Zoom, […]
Posted inBusiness, COVID, Energy, Environment, News
Colorado’s oil and gas producers are slashing budgets, closing wells as demand and cash flow dwindles
Oil and gas drilling in Colorado hit a historic low in May with only six drill rigs operating and an average for the month of seven drilling platforms – the fewest in the 28 years that oil field services company Baker Hughes has kept monthly records by state. In the Denver-Julesburg/Niobrara Basin, which extends along […]
Posted inPolitics and Government
Dark money group drops $500,000 to help put a paid family leave initiative on November ballot
A dark money Democratic powerhouse is fueling a potential ballot initiative to require paid sick leave. Sixteen Thirty Fund put $500,000 into Colorado Families First, an issue committee that is aiming to put the measure on the November ballot, according to new campaign finance reports filed this week. Sixteen Thirty, a Washington, D.C., nonprofit that […]
Posted inBusiness, Energy, News
Colorado oil and gas drillers’ hedges will keep cash flowing — for now — as prices plummet
The steep drop in oil prices – the fallout of a dispute between Russia and Saudi Arabia – is laying low drillers in Colorado, but the toll would be worse if many of those companies hadn’t hedged their bets. Oil companies commonly use “hedges” – a sort of insurance policy – to smooth out some […]