Oil and gas operators are mostly complying with a from Gov. John Hickenlooper to identify and inspect any of their lines located near occupied buildings, the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission said Friday.
The commission received 129 reports, more than expected, by the May 30 deadline. The reports detail the GPS coordinates of risers, or the part of the flow lines that come out of the ground, located within 1,000 feet of occupied buildings.
The May 2 order followed a that killed two men. Inspectors traced the gas behind the blast to a severed flowline that was still attached to a nearby well owned by Anadarko Petroleum.
“At this initial stage, the COGCC believes that industry is taking compliance with the order seriously. It will take further review, however, to develop firmer details about overall compliance,” said Todd Hartman, a spokesman with the Colorado Division of Natural Resources.
The COGCC has processed 80 of the 129 reports, and those covered flowlines associated with 16,514 wells. The reports still left are from small operators.
Operators also had until May 30 to inspect all flowlines, regardless of location, to ensure any not in use complied with state rules on abandoned lines. Those rules require abandoned lines or their risers be clearly marked with fluorescent paint, all operating valves be removed and the lines capped until they can be cut-off below ground.
State inspectors will have to visit those sites to confirm compliance.
Hartman said determining compliance with that part of the order will take more time. He also said a small number of operators haven’t submitted the required information and that the COGCC will be contacting them.
The second part of the order, with a June 30 deadline, requires operators to pressure test all active flowlines within 1,000 feet of a building to ensure they aren’t leaking or damaged.
