Kerr-McGee’s plan to drill oil and gas wells within 2,000 feet of homes in Firestone is rejected by regulators – By Mark Jaffe (Colorado Sun) / March 10, 2022
Colorado’s largest producer can return with a revised plan, but advocacy groups are relieved the hard-fought buffer rule is preserved. For now.
Abid by the state’s largest oil and gas producer to drill 26 wells within 2,000 feet of 62 homes in Firestone was rejected Thursday by Colorado regulators.
It was the first major test of the state’s requirement that oil and gas drilling be set back at least 2,000 feet from homes and schools. Both supporters and opponents of Kerr-McGee’s plan agreed during public testimony that the decision would be precedent setting.
The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission turned down the Kerr-McGee application to drill a total of 33 wells on two pads in Firestone saying that the company had not shown its plan was protective enough or that there had been an adequate evaluation of alternate sites.
The vote was 4-1, with Bill Gonzalez, who is a former oil industry executive, casting the lone vote in support. Still, Gonzalez said, “the applicant could have done a much better job.”
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