DENVER – Colorado won high marks for its rules on hydraulic fracturing of natural-gas wells from an independent review team, even as state regulators are getting ready to adopt a new rule for public disclosure of the content of frack fluids.
The report from STRONGER – which stands for State Review of Oil and Natural Gas Environmental Rules – concludes a six-month study of Colorado’s rules by a panel of gas and oil experts, watchdogs and industry representatives.
Nearly all the active wells in Colorado use fracking, a process that sends chemicals and large quantities of water down a well bore to break rock formations and free up natural gas or oil.
The report praised the disclosure rule that Colorado adopted in 2008, requiring companies to tell regulators the makeup of their frack fluids in the event of an emergency. The same summer Colorado adopted the rule, a nurse at Mercy Regional Medical Center became gravely ill after treating a worker who had spilled frack fluid on the ground.
The report had little to say about Colorado’s regulations for surface spills of frack fluids.
At Gov. John Hickenlooper’s urging, the oil and gas commission will meet Dec. 5 to consider a new rule for public disclosure of the makeup of frack fluids. The STRONGER team did not endorse or oppose that idea.
The 18-page report also had several other technical recommendations.
“We appreciate the important review and support by STRONGER,” said Dave Neslin, executive director of the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. “In several cases, we have already taken steps that address the STRONGER recommendations and find the guidance helpful as we continue to ensure we have strong and effective oversight of hydraulic fracturing.”
An environmental group said the report was notable for what it did not include.
“There is an urgent need to increase Colorado’s residential setbacks,” said Mike Chiropolos, lands program director at Western Resource Advocates. “The single most important thing that Colorado can do to protect homeowners in the gas patch is to increase the distance between drilling rigs and our homes.”
