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City schedules oil and gas public meeting May 24

May 18th, 2012, 6:25 am by

The City Council issued the following press release Thursday:

The city will host a public meeting on Thursday, May 24 from 6-8 p.m. at the City Administration Building (30 S. Nevada Ave.), suite 102 to get public input on proposed options for local oil and gas regulations.

City staff, elected officials, and Oil and Gas Committee members will be available to answer questions and record feedback on proposed levels of regulation for oil and gas exploration and development within city limits. The input will be considered by the voting members of the Oil and Gas Committee, who will deliver recommendations to City Council on June 12 for formal Council direction.  The City Attorney’s Office will draft the regulations, which will then be presented to Council for approval later this summer.

The Oil and Gas Committee was appointed by City Council in January and met over the course of 14 weeks to learn about oil and gas exploration and production, as well as review state and local regulations. Three councilmembers – Val Snider, Brandy Williams and Angela Dougan – served on the committee as voting members with the responsibility to bring forward recommendations on areas and levels of local regulation. The areas identified for regulation are: adherence to the pre-application/site plan process; impact fees; water quality compliance; land use setbacks; operational conflict avoidance language; zoning districts for oil and gas; high density/low density considerations; and conditions of Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) operator approvals for city government.

Handouts will be available following the meeting on the City’s Oil and Gas Committee webpage at www.springsgov.com. Public comment can also be submitted through the webpage or via email at OilandGasCommittee@springsgov.com.

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Oil boom in El Paso County? Not with the county’s regs, says industry official

January 17th, 2012, 4:28 pm by

Tisha Conoly Schuller, president and CEO of the Colorado Oil and Gas Association, stopped by The Gazette — along with Josh Penry, former Senate Minority Leader and one-time gubernatorial candidate — to chat about oil and gas exploration.

To see a video of part of that discussion, click here.

Posted in: Oil and Gas • • • • | 7 Comments »

State extends public comment period on applications to drill on Banning Lewis Ranch

January 13th, 2012, 12:46 pm by

The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission has approved the city’s request to give citizens more time to comment on Ultra Resources’ applications to drill on Banning Lewis Ranch.

The deadline to submit comments is now Jan. 17.

City Attorney Chris Melcher requested the time extension, city spokesman John Leavitt said Friday.

“It was just a matter of trying to give folks a sufficient amount of time to look at everything, consider whether they had any concerns or not, and if they did, they could go ahead and register those comments,” Leavitt said.

“Hopefully that gives them a sufficient amount of time to do it,” he said.

Citizens can leave comments and review Ultra’s applications on the commission’s website www.cogcc.state.co.us by clicking on “permits” and then by searching “pending applications” in El Paso County, the city said.

The City Council, which enacted a six-month moratorium on oil and gas exploration on Nov. 29, has asked the commission to wait to make a decision on Ultra’s two applications until local regulations are in place.

The city recently formed an Oil and Gas Committee to look at regulations for oil and gas exploration in Colorado Springs. The committee is expected to issue a report before the end of the six-month moratorium.

Thursday was the deadline to submit applications to serve on the committee.

Council members Val Snider, who will chair the committee, and Angela Dougan and Brandy Williams will be the only voting members of the committee.

Committee meetings, scheduled every Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., are slated to begin Jan. 26.

Posted in: Boards and Commissions • City Council • Meetings • • • • • • • | 4 Comments »

Regulation of oil and gas production subject of public meeting Wednesday

December 20th, 2011, 10:56 am by

Two Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission representatives will explain the regulation of oil and gas production during a public meeting in Colorado Springs Wednesday night.

The meeting will be from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at City Hall, 107 N. Nevada Ave.

“The topic of the meeting will be Colorado’s current procedures to regulate oil and gas exploration and production,” the city said in a press release. “The presentation will not address the pros and cons of the hydraulic fracturing method known as fracking.”

The meeting comes as the city grapples with the likelihood of oil and gas production on Banning Lewis Ranch in eastern Colorado Springs.

Late last month, the City Council enacted an emergency six-month moratorium on oil and gas exploration to determine whether it needs additional regulations, among other areas of study.

The city has also enlisted a private sector attorney who specializes in energy and natural resources law and policy.

During Wednesday’s meeting, COGCC inspection experts Mike Leonard and Margaret Ash will make a presentation and then respond to audience questions about oil and gas regulations and inspections, the city said. Leonard inspects oil and gas production wells in El Paso County.

The meeting, which is being hosted by City Councilman Val Snider and state Rep. Pete Lee, will be broadcast live on SpringsTV and also streamed live at www.springsgov.com.

Contact Snider at 385-5485 or at vsnider@springsgov.com to submit a question ahead of the meeting.

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