Annual state report shows regulators approved 838 new wells in 2022, with a sharp increase on the Front Range
Senate Bill 181
Posted inBusiness
Working group will begin exploring rules for controlling the cumulative impacts of oil and gas drilling in Colorado
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
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
Oil and gas drilling plan OK’d for 55 square miles in Aurora, including area where 12,500 homes are planned
State regulators confirmed Crestone Peak’s Box Elder drilling plan for 55 square miles of land the energy company has been working on since 2020, saying Colorado’s new permitting process is “workable, protective”
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, 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 inBusiness, Energy, Environment, News, Politics and Government
Colorado’s largest driller still wants to put wells within 2,000 feet of homes, but offers some concessions
Kerr-McGee reversed course Wednesday and agreed to use an electric rig and non-polluting drilling muds and to pipe waste water off site in a bid to drill oil and gas wells within 2,000 feet of homes in a Firestone neighborhood. Kerr-McGee, the state’s biggest oil and gas producer, announced the concessions during a Colorado Oil […]