Colorado Oil & Gas Sites Near Neighborhoods to get
More Local Scrutiny |
Colorado Oil and Gas Sites Near Neighborhoods to get More Local Scrutiny
Jan 25, 2016, 8:09pm MST
The nine-member
Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission
in a series of votes late Monday approved new rules aimed at increasing communication between energy companies and local governments to mitigate the effects of large-scale oil and gas operations in and around neighborhoods.
Monday's votes ended nearly 18 months of public meetings on the impacts of oil and gas operations in communities, months that included the 21 members of Gov.
John Hickenlooper
's oil and gas task force hammering out hard-fought compromises and putting forward recommendations in February 2015 aimed at smoothing the conflict.
The COGCC, charged with overseeing the state's oil and gas industry, has spent months crafting rules to implement two major pieces of the task force's recommendations. The vote Monday was the final piece, although the rules - which could become effective in six to eight weeks - still must undergo reviews by the Attorney General's office and the legislature.
The commissioners voted 5-4 to define "large" oil and gas facilities, the threshold that triggers the communication process between energy companies and local governments, as eight new wells and storage tanks that can hold up to 4,000 barrels of oil and natural gas liquids. The commissioners restricted the rule to large facilities in "urban" areas, defined as 22 buildings within 1,000 feet of the wellsite, rejecting request from some quarters to take the rule statewide.
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| Democrats to Propose 2 Fracking Measures |
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Democrats to propose 2 fracking measures
DENVER - They haven't come in yet, but lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle are talking about introducing measures related to the to-do over hydraulic fracturing.
Democrats in the Colorado House, where that party has a majority, are expected to introduce two measures later this session, one making it easier for surface property owners to collect damages from mineral rights owners if their properties are damaged, and a second measure to give local governments more regulatory authority over drilling within their jurisdictions.
Meanwhile, Republicans in the Senate, where they have control, haven't said what their plans are yet.
Sen. Jerry Sonnenberg, R-Sterling, however, said he is still considering reintroducing an idea he's proposed before, to bar any locality that bans fracking from receiving any severance tax revenues.
On that score, Sen. Ray Scott, R-Grand Junction, has introduced a bill, SB97, to protect severance tax revenues from being grabbed by state lawmakers to balance other parts of the budget, and to increase the amount of direct distributions to local governments.
He would do that by reducing the money the Department of Local Affairs gets from the tax that it doles out through grants.
Regardless of those measures, the backers of several proposed ballot measures dealing with fracking are still going ahead with their ideas.
Those proponents, who could not be reached for comment, have said they were not satisfied with new regulations approved by the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission last week. They said those new rules, the result of a special task force established by Gov. John Hickenlooper as a compromise to keep the proposals off the ballot in 2014, didn't go far enough.
Currently, they have nearly a dozen proposals that would create wider setbacks for where wells can be drilled near populated areas, including one measure that would ban the practice statewide.
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| Oil and Gas Moratorium a Non-Starter for Adams County Commissioners |
Oil and Gas Moratorium a Non-Starter for Adams County Commissioners
Jan 27, 2016, 2:56pm MST
Around 2 a.m. Wednesday morning, following eight hours of testimony about the effects of oil and gas operations in Adams County, the five county commissioners had enough - at least for the moment.
"There are a couple of issues on the table that we have to address and there was enough information given to us, enough people saying that they'll send us their letters and reports and I said, 'Let's gather all their information, digest it, think through it and circle back,'"
Commissioner
Steve O'Dorisio
told the Denver Business Journal Wednesday afternoon.
So, next week the commissioners will gather for a study session to review the information on oil and gas operations in the county, with an eye toward whether the county needs to update its local regulations concerning oil and gas operations, or review the "memorandums of understanding" the county has with four oil and gas companies working within its boundaries, O'Dorisio said.
But one thing that O'Dorisio thinks is off the table is imposing a moratorium on accepting or processing oil and gas-related permit applications at the county level.
"Overall, the board made it clear that no one wanted to entertain an overly broad moratorium that would impact oil and gas in the county," O'Dorisio said.
"The focus is on the oil and gas development that's causing the most concern, which is large scale, oil and gas facilities, in or very near urban areas - particularly residents and homes," he said. "The oil and gas industry is changing, and so is Adams County. We've always been a rural and urban county, but now we're seeing oil and gas development in urban areas and that provides some unique challenges," O'Dorisio said.
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| Tipton Meets With Local Bankers Over Federal Regulations |
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Tipton Meets With Local Bankers Over Federal Regulations
Legislation Passed to Rein in Big Banks has Adverse Effects on Local Institutions
Article Last Updated: Thursday, January 28, 2016 10:57pm
When the economy collapsed in 2008, federal regulators responded by imposing tougher monitoring systems on big banks. However, the new rules had a trickle-down effect on small banks, and on Thursday, U.S. Rep. Scott Tipton met with local officials to hear their concerns.
"The concern we were hearing here through our district, while directed at big banks, is that the smaller institutions are now feeling the impacts of the rules and regulations as a result of the legislation," Tipton said.
The conversation at the Durango Library revolved around the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, a set of federal oversight initiatives President Barack Obama signed into law in 2010 as an attempt to prevent practices that led to the 2008 financial meltdown.
Tipton said the legislation has been effective for monitoring the big banks, which can afford the cost the new regulations demand. But community banks cannot.
"The concern now is it's casting out a broad net that's scooping up smaller community banks," Tipton said.
Tipton's meeting brought together a consortium of local bankers who talked about the impacts and struggle with Dodd-Frank.
Scott Smith, CEO of the Colorado Association of Home Builders, said closings on houses have become more difficult as a result of the legislation, and the penalties for minor violations are "very extreme."
"We were kind of fearful as a group of the impact," Smith said. "It's definitely has created some uncertainty."
Tipton said Congress is working on several drafts of legislation that would provide some relief to local banks: "Right to Cure," which lifts fines on innocent mistakes, and the TAILOR Act, which would adjust fines according to an operation's size and risk profile.
"I'm not going to question the heart, but I am going to question the outcome," Tipton said of Dodd-Frank. "This shouldn't be a partisan issue. I know too many local people trying to do the right thing for the right reasons, but the current regulatory scenario almost seems adversarial."
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Denver Urban Home Values Appreciating More Than
Suburban Home Values
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Denver Urban Home Values Appreciating More Than Suburban Home Values
Jan 29, 2016, 6:31am MST
In a trend that's repeating itself around the country, homes in Denver's urban area are appreciating at a greater rate than homes in Denver suburbs.
That's according to online real estate company
Zillow
, which reported the value of homes in Denver's urban area have appreciated 14.4 percent in the past year and 54.5 percent in the past five years. Home values in Denver's suburbs have risen 14.1 percent in past year and 49.1 percent in the past five years.
Per square foot, homes in the Denver urban area cost an average of $251, according to Zillow, compared with $201 in suburban areas.
But those big suburban homes are still worth more: According to Zillow, the average Denver urban home is worth $330,932, compared with $338,801 for the average suburban home.
Nationally, the same trend is happening: Suburban home values grew 5.9 percent in 2015, while urban homes gained 7.5 percent in value.
"This trend, in part, reflects home buyers' changing preferences, as they seek amenity-rich, dense and walkable areas that are often closer to their workplace," said Svenja Gudell, Zillow chief economist,
in a statement
.
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