Planners were chided at a public hearing Tuesday for not proposing tougher rules for oil and gas companies aiming to start drilling operations in unincorporated areas of Boulder County.
“In the new language, overall, when it comes to enforcement, there are too many ‘shoulds’ and too many ‘wills,’ Myriah Conroy said during a virtual hearing held by commissioners to consider updates to the county’s oil and gas regulations.
Conroy and other speakers said the county should impose heavier fines on oil companies that violate state and county environmental regulations and for not properly cleaning up abandoned wells.
Oil companies, Conroy said, only “understand fines, additional fees and bonds.”
Ramesh Bhatt told the commissioners the county’s proposed rules also do not include language linking oil and gas development to climate change.
“The language is unnecessarily tentative in some areas,” Bhatt said.
Tuesday’s public hearing included a presentation by staff members on the planned updates followed by a lengthy public hearing. Commissioners are slated to vote Thursday on the proposals.
Kim Sanchez, the county’s deputy director of community planning and permitting, told commissioners the oil and gas regulations were revised in response to Senate Bill 19-181. The bill “act prioritizes the protection of public safety, health, welfare, and the environment in the regulation of the oil and gas industry.”
The bill also grants additional authority to local governments to regulate oil and gas activity, Sanchez said.
The county’s proposed regulations are the result of “hundreds of hours of research” and comments collected from residents, activists and industry leaders, Sanchez said. They also were bolstered by comments to the county Planning Commission in November, she said.
The new regulations call for several stipulations including county inspection of well sites, noise and odor limitations, emergency response plans, revegetation and reclamation requirements, and water quality controls, according to staff members.
Oil and gas companies also must produce financial records and have millions of dollars in insurance coverage, according to the proposals.
The county also will require well pads to be located at least 2,000 feet from an existing dwelling and 2,000 feet from an education facility or child care center, Sanchez said.
“Noise, odor, lighting and dust impacts would be addressed,” in the new regulations, Sanchez said.
Boulder County’s moratorium on new oil and gas development and seismic testing will remain in place through Dec. 31. No applications for oil and gas development have been submitted to Boulder County to date, according to the news release.
