Neighbors drill deeply into proposed oil, gas rules

DENVER — Colorado residents and citizen groups who packed a Dec. 7 meeting to testify against draft rules put together by the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission aimed at mitigating impacts of large oil and gas operations said again and again that the regulations don’t go far enough.

Fears of explosion hazards were stated, then restated. Resident groups from Battlement Mesa, located between Grand Junction and Glenwood Springs, complained about noise, smell and traffic caused by oil and gas industries. Citizens from Adams, Larimer and Weld counties worried that the draft rules lowered a bar, then described in detail why…