GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colo.—The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission is still on pace to approve more than 7,000 drilling permits this year, marking a steady industry surge from when 1,529 permits were approved for all of 2000.
Records from the commission show the state had approved 5,216 permits as of Sept. 8. The commission issued a record 6,368 drilling permits last year.
The agency issued about 621 drilling permits a month from March to May, when state regulators issued draft oil and gas rules that have generated debate around the state, acting commission director Dave Neslin said.
From June to August, the commission issued about 763 drilling permits per month for wells in the state.
“The industry has never been stronger in the state, either in terms of number of drilling rigs, the number of drilling, the number of drilling applications, the number of permits issued,” Neslin said earlier this month.
Doug Hock, a spokesman for EnCana Oil and Gas (USA), said his company has been seeking more permits at once, partly because of a growing delay in receiving permits from the short-staffed commission.
“We used to see permits in 30 days on average, it is more like 60 days now,” Hock said.
The commission could be in a position to approve new rules for the industry before the end of the year.
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Information from: Post Independent,
