DENVER—Permits for oil and gas drilling in Colorado are expected to increase 16 percent this year over 2009 for the third-highest level on record.
State regulators are expected to issue over 6,000 permits by the close of 2010, up from 5,159 in 2009.
The Denver Post reports that the increase suggests that oil and gas producers have found a way to work with stricter drilling regulations pushed by Gov. Bill Ritter.
Producers, however, are still facing lower gas prices because of increased production in Pennsylvania and other areas in the East.
More than one-third of the drilling permits issued this year have been in Weld County. Production is up there because of advances in horizontal drilling.
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Information from: The Denver Post,
