Colorado
COLORADO SB 19-181
To: DNR_COGCC.Hearings_Unit Subject: Fwd: SB 19-181: Draft Objective Criteria and Guidance Document This afternoon, COGCC Director Jeff Robbins released Draft Objective Criteria for public comment as well as a new guidance document to move forward on implementing Colorado’s new oil and gas law, SB 19-181. The Draft Objective Criteria document provides that the Director may delay specific final permit determinations until the Director is satisfied that the permit complies with the intent of SB 19-181. The Director also released guidance on surface and drilling permits, pooling and spacing, and Comprehensive Drilling Plans, which will help inform the public on how Colorado’s new oil and gas law will be incorporated into proceedings before the COGCC. The issuance of the Draft Objective Criteria commences a 10 day public comment period on the Criteria (Deadline 5 PM Monday, April 29) where written comments may be submitted through the COGCC website at: https://cogcc. state.co.us/comments/view/. The Director will finalize the Objective Criteria after considering public comment on or before May 16, 2019. The Director will also be conducting additional and ongoing outreach on the Objective Criteria with other stakeholders and interested parties during the comment period and beyond.
On April 16, 2019, Colorado Governor Jared Polis signed SB 19-181 into law. The bill will make major changes in the way the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) regulates the oil and gas industry in the state. Click here for the full text of S.B. 181 “Today, with the signing of this bill, it is our hope that the oil and gas wars that have enveloped our state are over and the winner is all of us,” Polis said. The bill makes protecting public health and safety and the environment a priority when considering oil and gas projects. The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, the main regulatory body, would no longer be charged with fostering development and will have new criteria to review permit applications that prioritize “protection of public safety, health, welfare, and the environment in the regulation of the oil and gas industry”. Nationally ranking fifth in oil and sixth in natural gas production, Colorado has struggled for some time to balance the growth of the oil and gas industry against health and safety concerns of nearby communities. Previous attempts to impose stricter restrictions have been rejected by Colorado voters. “I am encouraged by the governor’s comments about coming together as Coloradans and moving forward. To achieve that objective, it means removing politics from the technical process of providing energy to Coloradans,” Dan Haley, president and CEO of the Colorado Oil and Gas Association, said in a statement.
Mimi C. Larsen, Esq. Hearings and Regulatory Affairs Manager
The COGCC has issued the following memo in advance of new rulemaking:
From: Hearings_Unit, COGCC
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G r o w t h T h r o u g h E d u c a t i o n - A p r i l / M a y / J u n e 2 0 1 9
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