Energy, Utilities & Water  November 20, 2014

Local governments to state: Give us more oil and gas authority

LOVELAND – Local government officials pleaded with a task force appointed by the governor for more control over oil and natural-gas development within their borders at a meeting Thursday.

The officials from Boulder County and Lafayette made the requests in front of the 21-member task force. They pointed out that the state dropped its lawsuit against Longmont, effectively giving the city enhanced regulatory authority on oil and gas that few other local jurisdictions possess.

The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission withdrew the lawsuit as part of a deal brokered by Gov. John Hickenlooper to avert citizen-led initiatives that would have restricted oil and gas development statewide. The state agency had filed a lawsuit against the city of Longmont to challenge the rules established by the city to regulate oil and gas.

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“I think that’s great for Longmont: The rest of us would like to have that authority, too,” without being sued, Boulder County Commissioner Elise Jones said.

Hickenlooper has asked the task force to craft recommendations to reduce land-use conflicts related to the proximity of oil and gas facilities near homes, schools, businesses and recreation areas.

The meeting comes amid an oil and gas boom in Weld County, the source of 80 percent of the state’s oil production, which reached record levels topping 64 million barrels last year. The boom has generated heated controversy as wells have cropped up in urban areas along the Front Range. That tension was evident at the public meeting Thursday afternoon, as local government officials traded barbs.

“Boulder County does not want to be Weld County, and I’m sure the feeling is mutual,” Jones said.

She said that memorandums of understanding between oil and gas companies and cities that establish rules that often go beyond the scope of state laws do not have enough teeth. She pointed out that Colorado lags behind states such as New Mexico, which gives cities greater control over oil and gas development than in Colorado.

Officials said they aimed to protect the health and safety of their residents, and they want greater authority to do so.

Initiatives will be proposed to limit oil and gas activity again and again if the state does not act, Lafayette Mayor Christine Berg said.

“Voters will continue to pass them,” she said.

Other officials said they have successfully struck a balance between state, city and county authority over oil and gas operations.

Weld County Commissioner Barbara Kirkmeyer said the county had some kinds of zoning authority, but that other powers rightly lie with the state.

Loveland City Councilman Hugh McKean said that Loveland voters appeared content with the city’s regulations. Voters earlier this year declined to pass a citizen-led initiative that would have established a moratorium on oil drilling.

“We pride ourselves on quality of life, an amazing place to live,” McKean said. “We also don’t want to tell anyone, ‘Don’t bring your business.’”

 

 

 

LOVELAND – Local government officials pleaded with a task force appointed by the governor for more control over oil and natural-gas development within their borders at a meeting Thursday.

The officials from Boulder County and Lafayette made the requests in front of the 21-member task force. They pointed out that the state dropped its lawsuit against Longmont, effectively giving the city enhanced regulatory authority on oil and gas that few other local jurisdictions possess.

The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission withdrew the lawsuit as part of a deal brokered by Gov. John Hickenlooper to avert citizen-led initiatives that would have restricted…

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