The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission yesterday unanimously approved new rules that outline requirements for operators with facilities located within floodplains.

The new rules implement several of the recommendations contained in the Commission's "Lessons Learned" report published in March 2014 following the Front Range floods of September 2013.

The nine-member Commission approved regulations designed to better protect oil and gas facilities that may be subject to flooding and that require more preparations from operators to reduce potential impacts. The new rules formalize "best management practices" when operating within a floodplain and require:

· All tanks, new and existing, be surrounded with hardened berms made of steel instead of earthen barriers.

· Critical equipment be anchored according to an engineered anchoring plan.

· The removal of existing pits used for exploration and product waste.

· All new wells to be configured so operators can shut the well in remotely.

"We learned a great deal from our experiences in September of 2013, including what existing practices were successful in reducing damages," said Matt Lepore, director of the Commission. "Requiring these practices for oil and gas operations within a floodplain makes sense and will ensure environmental impacts are reduced and equipment is further protected should we see another flood event."

In addition, the new rules require operators, by April 1, 2016, to establish an inventory of wells and critical equipment located within a floodplain and to register all such wells and equipment with the COGCC. Operators are also required to create a formal plan on how they will respond to a potential flood.

"These new rules requiring operators to establish an inventory and a formal response plan will help ensure both operators and the COGCC can react more quickly when a flood threatens or strikes," Lepore said.

These new rules are effective June 1, 2015 for new wells and equipment and April 1, 2016 for retrofitting of existing equipment.

The new floodplain rules is the latest of numerous steps undertaken by the COGCC to improve regulation of oil and gas development in Colorado and part of Governor Hickenlooper's commitment to long-term recovery and resiliency after the 2013 floods.

Since 2011, the Hickenlooper administration has crafted rules to increase setbacks, reduce nuisance impacts, protect groundwater, cut emissions, disclose hydraulic fracturing chemicals, increase spill reporting and significantly elevate penalties for operators violating Commission rules.

The Commission has also significantly expanded oversight staff, intensified collaboration with local governments, sponsored ongoing studies to increase understanding of impacts to air and water, streamlined its process for public complaints, increased public access to COGCC data and adopted several formal policies to address health and safety issues brought about by new technologies and increased energy development in Colorado.

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CONTACT
Matt Lepore, COGCC, 303-894-2100 x-5122, matt.lepore@state.co.us
Todd Hartman, DNR, 303-866-3311 x-8665, todd.hartman@state.co.us