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Urge the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission to ensure responsible energy development through providing safeguards for wildlife, fish and their habitat.

Background

In October 2020, the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) – the state board that approves drilling permits and regulates the oil and gas industry - will amend its rules for permitting oil and gas sites in Colorado. Your voice is needed to ensure that wildlife protection is prioritized in these amendments.

This rulemaking is required by Senate Bill 19-181, which Governor Polis signed into law on April 16, 2019. Among other major reforms, SB 181 changed the agency’s mission by directing the COGCC to ensure responsible energy development through providing safeguards for wildlife, fish and their habitat while clarifying that the COGCC may deny a permit application if its approval would not protect wildlife, the environment, or public health, safety, or welfare.

What's New & Why Should we get Involved?

In June 2020, the COGCC released Draft Rules to amend its 1200 Series as part of its Mission Change rulemaking. Those Draft Rules are a vast improvement over the COGCC’s current wildlife rules and will result in better permitting decisions, protection of more species, and long-term protection of habitat but there is more they can do. Given these significant changes to the law and new focus on wildlife habitat, this a historic chance for strong wildlife and fish protection in Colorado. YOU have the opportunity to be part of that discussion and provide comments to the new rules.

Here are the main concerns we are submitting:

We believe that the current draft of the 1200 series – with a single buffer zone of 300’ from streams- does not provide sufficient protection for riparian zones, stream waters and associated fisheries and aquatic life. COGCC should expand the no ground disturbance buffers around valuable streams from 300’ to 1320’ (¼ mile buffer) to protect surface waters and high-priority fisheries including Gold Medal and native trout waters from erosion, sedimentation and potential spills. The expanded buffers will also protect valuable stream side habitat, which is widely used by birds and mammals.
The COGCC should also require additional measures to safeguard surface waters when drilling within 1500’ of streams such as lining berms, using tanks instead of pits, collecting baseline water quality samples, and keeping spill response equipment on site.

Additional measures we support related to wildlife can be seen on the Info Sheet here.

COGCC’s Draft Wildlife Rules & Info Sheet

Comments on the 1200 Series Rules are due

October 8, 2020 12pm.

The commenting period is over and you cannot send your comments anymore through this form. Thank you to everyone that submitted their comments!

Please take a moment to urge the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) to incorporate the strongest possible protections for Colorado’s wildlife into the 1200 Series rules (section that covers wildlife protections).

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Take Action

COGCC 1200 Series

Subject: 1200 Series

Message:

To: COGCC Commissioners As the COGCC embarks on a historic Mission Change rulemaking this fall on the 1200 series, I urge you to incorporate improved protections for wildlife and wildlife habitat, including cold-water fisheries, streams and overall riparian zones. The current draft of the 1200 series – with a single buffer zone of 300’ from streams - does not provide enough protection for riparian zones, stream waters and our fisheries. The COGCC should expand the no ground disturbance buffers around valuable streams from 300’ to 1320’ (¼ mile buffer) to protect surface waters and high-priority fisheries from erosion, sedimentation and potential spills. Colorado's rivers are a vital part of our state's $62+ billion outdoor recreation economy and making sure oil and gas development buffer zones are sufficient for their protection is critical. The expanded buffers will also protect valuable streamside habitat, which is widely used by birds and mammals. The COGCC should also require additional measures to safeguard surface waters when drilling within 1500’ of streams such as lining berms, using tanks instead of pits, collecting baseline water quality samples, and keeping spill response equipment on site. These are required today near streams providing municipal drinking water; we need to protect important aquatic habitats from impacts to water quality, similar to the way we protect drinking water. Please consider adopting these measures so the COGCC can ensure that it is fully implementing SB 181 to protect wildlife resources. Both the outdoor economy and our Colorado quality of life depends on it.

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