New Garfield County oil and gas regulations before commissioners Tuesday postindependent.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from postindependent.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Public input started Wednesday to the Colorado Oil & Gas Commission on possible changes to the financial obligations drilling companies must comply with to clean up âorphaned wells.â
In February, the COGCC started examining the rules governing the âfinancial assurancesâ companies must provide to ensure no orphan wells are left uncapped, or sites not remediated properly. The commission put out a call for input by way of written or oral testimony â the written testimony was due by March 15. Industry representatives presented to COGCC Wednesday morning, and the public testimony was scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday. The meeting is being held via video conference on Zoom.
Garfield County commissioners will put up an extra $293,000 to pay off the remainder of this year’s bill in the multi-county Western Slope effort challenging recent changes to the way Colorado regulates oil and gas development.
Commissioners on Monday unanimously agreed to allocate the additional funds for 2020 on behalf of the Western & Rural Local Governments Coalition.
The group of 23 counties and municipalities across the region was led by Garfield County in the months-long effort, as the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) and state Air Quality Control Commission (AQCC) worked to write sweeping new rules under Senate Bill 19-181.