GREELEY — Some local control over oil and gas operations is appropriate, but it’s important that the permitting process for new wells not be hijacked by anti-drilling activists, a member of the governor’s oil and gas task force said Friday.
Cirque Resources LP CEO Peter Dea
said the industry and the communities in which it works have been able to mostly work things out as long as cooler heads have prevailed.
“I don’t think the task force wants to give unreasonable people a hammer to shut down an operation,” he said.
Dea is part of the 21-person task force that was as part of a compromise with U.S. Rep. Jared Polis .
The panel met in Greeley on Friday to continue its work trying to strike a balance between and the growing pushback from Colorado communities upset with drilling rigs in their backyards.
“We have to be reminded that we’ve got irrational communities out there, like Boulder,” Dea said.
That comment brought a rebuke from Will Toor, a former Boulder mayor and Boulder County commissioner, who asked his fellow task force member to refrain from taking potshots at individual communities.
Boulder is one of several Front Range communities that in recent years.
The task force broke into two groups Friday to hammer at details. It was , part of a series of public meetings the group has been making across the state.
The topic of local control over oil and gas operations, primarily in Colorado’s urban areas, once again dominated the talks.
Several participants said communities have to play a major role in oil and gas drilling activities and not just leave oversight to the state.
“Local governments are not going to be satisfied until their legitimacy is honored,” said task force member and attorney Matt Sura.
Toor said that control should extend to the specific placement of wells and whether they pose a human health or environmental hazard.
“Local governments need to have more than a seat at the table,” he said. “They need to have a decision-making role on the location of large production facilities.”
Noble Energy vice president Dan Kelly, a task force member, said he favored “early review” of proposed drilling projects by municipalities, operators and state regulators long before permit applications are submitted — to give all parties a chance to iron out disagreements before they become intractable.
“Bring these forward so they can be reviewed and discussed,” he said.
La Plata County rancher Jim Fitzgerald, a task force member, suggested that counties and local governments have the power to check off “yes” or “no” on well permit applications before they are approved by the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission.
That suggestion was met with protests from industry representatives at the table.
John Aguilar: 303-954-1695, jaguilar@denverpost.com or twitter.com/abuvthefold
Governor’s oil and gas task force not done meeting
The task force convened last summer must submit its recommendations by Feb. 27. The panel will meet again to hammer out details Feb. 2-3 and Feb. 23-24 at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver.
