With the passage of the Protect Public Welfare Oil And Gas Operations (SB19-181) the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) has changed its mission from fostering oil and gas development to regulating Colorado’s oil and gas industry. As a result, there are a number of rulemakings that the COGCC and the Air Pollution Control Division (APCD) will be conducting. Each of these various rulemakings will focus on a specific issue related to oil and gas development. These upcoming rulemakings will include flowline, mission change, cumulative impacts, and alternative site analysis rulemakings.

Western Colorado Alliance has been working for decades to protect public health and wellness in communities impacted by oil and gas development. We’re excited to continue this work as we come to the end of the year. With the help of our members, allies, and affiliate groups, the Alliance will engage in each of these upcoming rulemakings as they continue through March of 2020.

We have already begun to participate in some of the rulemakings. Most recently we worked with our members to provide comments to the Air Quality Control Division (who will be in charge of the air quality rulemaking). During this comment period, a number of our members and allies provided written comments to the Air Pollution Control Department.
Additionally, some of our members provided verbal comments when the APCD staff came to the Western Slope to listen to the perspectives of residents of the Western Slope. After a presentation that explained a brief history of air quality regulation in Colorado, the APCD staff heard the public comments on behalf of the AQCC. At the APCD meeting, there were slightly more people in favor of requiring local governments to adhere to statewide standards of air quality regulation than there were people who opposed these same regulations.

Our members explained why it’s important for Colorado to have strong statewide regulations protecting our air. We pointed out that people in Western Colorado have just as much of a right to breath clean air as people living in the Front Range. It is our stance that local governments should not be allowed to lower the standards for oil and gas operators here on the Western Slope.

In addition to our work with the AQCC, the Alliance provided extensive public comment to the COGCC at a listening session in Glenwood Springs. Similar to the AQCC meeting, Alliance members explained why we need to have statewide regulations protecting our rural communities. Industry supporters claimed that Western Colorado shouldn’t be expected to comply with statewide regulations and that local governments should be allowed to regulate below the state standards.

Alliance members argued that the Western Slope deserves the same protections as the rest of the state when it comes to our health, safety, and environment.

Western Colorado Alliance will continue to engage in these upcoming rulemakings, where we are looking forward to working with the COGCC as they begin to regulate oil and gas development in Colorado. The next rulemaking will be a joint hearing between the AQCC and the COGCC on October 17. Additionally, we will receive a rulemaking update from the agencies at the end of October.