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Larimer County Commissioners vote to increase oil and gas regulations

By: Amber McIver-Traywick | The Surveyor | August 05, 2021 | Local News

Larimer County Commissioners unanimously approved stricter oil and gas regulations Thursday, July 29  after an extension of the commissioner’s Monday night meeting due to the high volume of public comments.

Around 70 people signed up to make a public comment either via Zoom or in-person at the Monday meeting with 20 speaking before the final vote was made Thursday.

The county’s ability to set these restrictions came as the result of the passage of Senate Bill 181 back in 2019. County regulations in Colorado must meet at a minimum the standards set at the state level but with these new changes, Larimer County will exceed those regulations.

Beginning September 15, the amended regulations go into effect. These include setbacks of at least 2,000 feet, roughly five and a half football fields, of oil and gas facilities from schools, hospitals or medical clinics, multifamily housing and state-licensed daycares. Additionally, sites must be 2000 feet away from publicly maintained trails and trailheads, community parks and regional parks. Setbacks from streams and rivers will be 300 feet but oil and gas production is prohibited state-wide within 100-year floodplains already.

The restrictions also require new oil and gas pipelines to submit to the county’s administrative special review process, increase the frequency and scope of water well testing, annual leak detection testing, restricts oil and gas operations to a small number of nonresidential zones, requires stricter air quality monitoring and sets conditions and special requirements during state-declared “Air Quality Advisory Days.” The commissioners also approved adding setbacks to any new housing developments depending on how far along the project currently is.

During the meetings commissioners heard from individuals both in favor and against the restrictions. Some expressed concern that the proposed restrictions were not strict enough and that these sites are a danger to public health simply by existing while others argued the restrictions will all but end the oil and gas industry in the county as well as decrease jobs that provide a high standard of living without replacing those opportunities.

Matt Sura, an attorney in the oil and gas industry hired by the county to help write the new regulations said the new rules are some of the strictest in the state. Sura said data shows that the oil and gas industry is “clearly in decline” in the county, stating that in 2020, 62% of the 267 wells in Larimer County were deemed “uneconomical” because they produced less than one barrel of oil per day. During a presentation earlier in the year Sura explained that Larimer County is the sixth-highest producing county for annual oil sales and eleventh for natural gas.

Commissioners Jody Shadduck-McNally and Kristin Stephens discussed several changes to the wording in the new restrictions. Stephens said her goal with the restrictions was, “…protecting health and welfare and protecting our environment…I think that we’ve achieved that.” Shadduck-McNally pushed to have oil and gas operations restricted from natural resources and forested land.

After the public comment time, nearly two hours of discussion and questions by Commissioners followed leading up to the regulations passing with a 3-0 vote.

Commissioner John Kefalas stated he was at first reluctant about the regulations and wanted to recognize the concerns of those who feared the new rules could damage the industry but followed up by saying he felt the board took all segments of the community into consideration.

The code amendments have been in process since February this year when the county released an online questionnaire for residents to complete pertaining to the industry. A draft of the amendment was released at the end of May.

The commissioners thanked county staff for their work on the amendments and went on to thank community members for being involved and giving their feedback.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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