Colorado Oil & Gas Conservation Commission Announces Temporary Pause on Rulemaking

This content was originally published by the Longmont Observer and is licensed under a Creative Commons license.

The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) today announced the SB 19-181 rulemaking schedule will be on a temporary pause due to the inability to conduct face-to-face meetings, which are a critical component to successful rulemaking.  
“We evaluated whether we needed to push back the rulemaking proceedings at this point, to ensure that all parties have actual and, importantly, perceived due process,” said Director Robbins at the March Commission Hearing. “Our recommendation is to pause rulemaking because we do not want to undertake such an important piece of business – rulemaking - ‘virtually.’ This decision comes after gathering feedback from our stakeholders, who are all in agreement that rulemakings should necessitate actual face-to-face meetings, not virtual meetings.”
Next Steps for Rulemaking: 
200, 300, 400, 500, 600 Series: 

• COGCC posted these series on March 15, but has temporarily paused moving forward with the formal rulemaking process. 
• We have removed from our calendar the deadlines for requests for party status and initial pre-hearing conference. We will evaluate when to repost initial deadlines for filing for party status and the initial stakeholder meeting in mid April.
• In the interim, we invite stakeholders to continue to provide us written input on the series Rules and note that any such input will be part of the administrative record. 
• The COGCC will reassess where we are at with regard to public meetings the week of April 13th. 

Wellbore Integrity Rulemaking:

• COGCC will postpone Wellbore Integrity Rulemaking to its currently scheduled June 10 & 11 hearing. 
• The new date will not change the effective date of the rules which is anticipated to become effective Sept. 15, 2020. 

 “COGCC is committed to a strong, robust, inclusive rulemaking process with all our stakeholders. We will continue to keep stakeholders updated as we navigate our current challenges by email, social media and our website,” said Robbins. SB 19-181 ensures that oil and gas development and operations in Colorado are regulated in a manner that protects public health, safety, welfare, the environment and wildlife resources. The COGCC is in the midst of reviewing its rules and procedures to evaluate what changes are required to reflect the new law’s requirements. On Nov. 21, 2019, the Commission adopted Flowline rules. The Commission will take up additional SB 19-181 rulemakings at future Commission hearings.
To learn more about participating in any meetings, the rulemaking schedule or comment using the online portals, visit the COGCC website: cogcc.state.co.us and follow us on Twitter @ColoradoOGCC.