Oil And Gas Changes Bill Passes Colorado Senate

DENVER, CO – By John Herrick for The Colorado Independent. Editor’s note: On March 13, the Senate passed the oil and gas bill 19-15 along party lines. Democrats backed several amendments considered favorable to the industry. They include allowing companies to request a technical review of a local government’s decision on an application and a requirement that local government regulations be “necessary and reasonable.” Some supporters worry these amendments strip away power from local governments and conflict with the intent of the bill. Earlier this month, hundreds of people who work in the oil and gas industry came to the state Capitol — some on private buses paid for by their employers — to protest a bill overhauling state regulations on drilling. The industry still opposes the bill. Republicans, who have raised concerns that the bill is moving too fast, effectively filibustered it for a day when they asked for a 2,000-word bill to be read in full. This story was originally published on March 5, 2019.

On April 17, 2017, Erin Martinez’s home exploded. She remembers feeling the house lift from the ground. She remembers being trapped by debris.

Martinez escaped with injuries from the blast, which was caused by a leak in a nearby natural gas line. Her husband and brother, who were working on a hot water heater in the basement of the Firestone home, were killed.

Martinez, who has since recovered and moved into a new home, came to the state Capitol on Thursday to support legislation that would dramatically change how Colorado regulates oil and gas development across the state.

“I have no desires to destroy the industry. Lots of good people depend on this industry for their livelihoods. I respect that,” Martinez, flanked by Democratic lawmakers, county commissioners, and Gov. Jared Polis, told a crowd of mostly staffers and reporters.

“However, with great tragedy should also come great change. Human life should come first,” she said.

Her speech capped off an announcement that Democrats will soon introduce a bill overhauling the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission’s oversight of the $31-billion industry, among other reforms.

Under the proposed legislation, which will be introduced as soon as Friday, lawmakers say the COGCC will no longer be allowed to promote the industry, a statutory mandate dating back to 1951 that drilling opponents say conflicts with the commission’s other regulatory obligations. When issuing drilling permits, the commission must make protecting public health, safety and the environment a top priority, lawmakers say. If enacted, it would mark a subtle but significant shift in the agency’s decision-making that for years has been contested in the state courts.

Another key provision would allow local communities to regulate drilling themselves, which could effectively prohibit drilling in certain communities. Oil and gas companies have long feared such a patchwork of regulations across the state, especially as Boulder, Erie, Lafayette, Superior and other Front Range cities pursue moratoriums on drilling.

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