After nearly two years locked in a fight over who controls oil and gas drilling permits, Weld County, Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission come to an understanding
By Kelly Ragan
For nearly two years, Weld County has been locked in a fight over who controls oil and gas drilling permits.
But as the Weld County Board of County Commissioners unanimously approved a Memorandum of Understanding with the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, it looks like there’s a resolution in sight.
“The MOU we signed is massively important,” said Commissioner Scott James in an interview with the NoCo Optimist. “(The COGCC) has had their mission change, but this shows that Weld County can work with that.”
Essentially, the process leads to what the county believes will be a more streamlined process after many months of discussion. According to a report by Complete Colorado, it addresses three major issues:
It establishes a concurrent process for applications to the county and the state.
A preapplication meeting process that helps the applicant make sure everything is in place.
Speeds up the timeline for application approval.
So why the scuffle? Well, according to a report by Colorado Public Radio, in 1974, House Bill 1041 gave local communities more power over matters of “state interest,” including more control over land that held minerals.
Weld claimed it had 1041 powers over oil and gas when it declared unincorporated Weld County an area of state interest in 2019, which – the move allowed them more control over oil and gas drilling permits.
But the COGCC wasn’t too sure about that after the state legislature passed Senate Bill 19-181 in 2019, which made significant changes to how oil and gas is regulated in Colorado. One of the big changes included a stipulation that the COGCC must focus on protecting public health, safety, welfare, the environment and wildlife resources, according to the COGCC website.
That was on everyone’s mind after a home explosion linked to an underground well line in Firestone killed two men. Senate Bill 19-181 was enacted two years after that explosion.
But it also gave more control to local entities.
The new rules, including a 2,000-foot setback requirement, went into effect in January.
“Oil and gas is a huge economic driver in Weld County and also provides many jobs for families in the industry,” said Commissioner Steve Moreno in a news release. “As the state’s leader in oil and gas production, it’s important that we have processes in place that protect our residents while still maintaining local control of our land use process concerning oil and gas. To partner with the state in our permitting process speaks to how far we’ve come since Senate Bill 181 was passed. This effort speaks to the hard work of staff, our county attorney and previous board members, and I’m pleased with the MOU.”