Oil & Gas

County comments on oil and gas rulemaking request

Garfield County has provided comments to a rulemaking petition filed by several environmental groups seeking to “adopt rules to evaluate and address cumulative air impacts” and address environmental justice concerns. In a letter to the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC), the county recommended rejection of the petition and associated rulemaking, noting that the proposed rules would greatly impact oil and gas development throughout much of the state.
Rulemaking

County approves new gas pad application near Rifle

A new natural gas well pad limited impact review has been approved by Garfield County, the first such approval by the county since new regulations on the industry went into effect in Colorado. The 6.4-acre pad, which includes as many as 21 directional wells to extract natural gas, is an expansion of an existing oil and gas pad and includes just 1.13 acres of new ground disturbance, according to a proposal from operator TEP Rocky Mountain, LLC.
Gas pad approved

Energy Resource Inventory

Garfield County has received the completed Phase I Energy Resource Inventory from TRC Solutions. The Garfield County commissioners will ‘test drive’ this inventory before considering the design for a Phase II, currently envisioned as a policy development exercise to guide future land use decisions.
Energy Master Plan

Energy Advisory Board Citizen Representative opportunity

Interested in energy issues? The Garfield County Energy Advisory Board is requesting letters of interest from applicants who are interested in serving as a volunteer citizen representative.
board openings

Energy Advisory Board

The Garfield County Board of County Commissioners formed the Garfield County Energy Advisory Board (EAB) in 2004. Its mission is to provide a forum for the oil and gas industry, the public, impacted landowners and local government to prevent or minimize conflict associated with oil and gas development through positive and proactive communication and actions that encourage responsible and balanced development of these resources within Garfield County.

The EAB investigates citizen complaints, and works with energy companies to facilitate solutions. If we cannot reach a resolution, we may contact the COGCC or other regulatory authorities. Our Oil and Gas Liaison is also responsible for making reports to the Board of County Commissioners, and coordinates with the BLM and other agencies on energy-related issues.

The EAB is currently seeking citizen representatives. Citizen representatives on the EAB are available to hear comments and complaints from residents in their areas. For more information about the EAB, and a map of citizen representation areas and contacts.

The EAB meetings take place at 6 p.m. in Rifle.

Oil & gas permitting

Although Garfield County does not regulate drilling directly, some of our regulations do affect the energy industry. For example, oversized vehicles are subject to permits from the Road & Bridge Department and certain facilities must obtain land use and building permit approvals from the Garfield County Community Development Department. Please contact these departments with any specific questions.

Energy operators

We are often contacted by people wanting to know what companies operate in Garfield County. Our office is not charged with the responsibility of assisting businesses with marketing, but visitors to our website who want to find out what companies are operating here are encouraged to check the information in Emergency Contacts and Related Links. The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission registers oil and gas operators throughout the state.