DENVER – The commission that oversees natural gas and oil regulation in Colorado adopted new rules Monday designed to limit spills during major floods like the one that struck the Front Range in 2013. But the panel rejected a request that it grant local government the authority to impose stricter rules.
The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission also rejected suggestions that it try to discourage companies from drilling wells or installing storage tanks in flood-prone areas.
One official said those questions can be addressed in the commission’s normal permitting process.
The rules require that all new wells be equipped with technology allowing them to be shut down remotely in case floodwaters keep crews from getting to a site. New and existing oilfield tanks and other equipment will have to be anchored to resist toppling or floating away. Operators also must install barriers to protect equipment from flood debris.
The rules were approved after five hours of testimony and debate that renewed Colorado’s long-running argument over whether local government should have a say over the oil and gas industry, especially where wells, tanks and other equipment are located.
The Northwest Colorado Council of Governments, which represents five counties and 22 towns in north-central Colorado, asked the commission to recognize that local governments have the authority to restrict drilling near waterways. The conservation group Western Resource Advocates made a similar argument.
Last week, a task force created by Gov. John Hickenlooper also rejected calls to give local governments more power over siting decisions. The task force did recommend giving municipalities more ability to comment on state decisions about where oil and gas facilities are located.
Most of the rules apply to facilities in a 100-year flood plain. A 100-year flood is a deluge so severe there is only a 1-in-100 chance of it occurring in any year.
The new rules don’t talk about where wells and other facilities could be located except to say that pits holding wastewater from gas and oil operations may no longer be put in a 100-year flood plain.
More than 48,000 gallons of oil and 43,000 gallons of polluted water spilled from overturned or damaged tanks during the flooding. About 2,650 wells were shut down, but officials said no significant leaks came directly from them.
Nine people were killed in the flooding, and a 10th died in the recovery effort. State officials put the total damage at $3 billion.
