Draft of proposed Boulder County oil and gas development regulations available for review

Boulder County, Colo. – Boulder County staff members have drafted updated Special Review regulations for
oil and gas development and are actively seeking review and comment from
the public, industry representatives, and state agencies.

The draft regulations in Docket DC-16-0004 (PDF) are posted on the county’s Oil and Gas Development webpage.

The draft regulations reflect direction given to staff by the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) in May 2016 in response to a Colorado Supreme Court decision that overturned efforts by two Front Range cities to limit oil and gas drilling in the form of hydraulic fracturing.

Written comments on the draft regulations can be emailed to: oilgascomment@bouldercounty.org.

To ensure time for both boards to fully review comments, please send comments as soon as possible. All comments will be shared with the Planning Commission and the County Commissioners, but the Planning Commission will provide a recommendation on the regulations nearly one month prior to the BOCC's actions.

Public Meetings on the Draft Regulations addressing oil and gas development within the Boulder County Land Use Code will take place on the following dates:

Planning
Commission

• Wednesday, Oct. 12,
  1:30 p.m. Planning Commission public hearing – public comment to be
  taken (limit 3 min. per speaker).
• Thursday, Oct. 27,
  4 p.m. Planning Commission public meeting – no further testimony will be
  taken.

Board of County
Commissioners

• Tuesday, Nov. 15,
  12 p.m. Board of County Commissioners public hearing – public comment to
  be taken. (Note: Online speaker sign-ups will begin Nov. 1. Limit 3 min. per
  speaker)
• Thursday, Nov. 17
  11 a.m. Board of County Commissioners public meeting – no further
  testimony will be taken.

Meeting Details

All meetings will take place in the Commissioners' Hearing Room, Boulder County Courthouse, 3rd floor, 1325 Pearl St., Boulder.

Land Use staff will present the proposed regulations to
the Planning Commission on Oct. 12 where the Commission will also hear public testimony.
The Planning Commission will then meet on Oct. 27 to deliberate and provide
recommendations to the Board of County Commissioners.

The Board of County Commissioners will hear from Land Use
staff and take public testimony on the regulations on Nov. 15 and reconvene for
a public meeting where they will deliberate and take action on the regulations
on Nov. 17.

Public testimony will be taken at the Oct. 12 and
Nov. 15 public hearings (each speaker will be allowed three minutes).

For more information about the county’s role in oil and gas
development, visit the county’s Oil and Gas Development webpage or view the Sept. news release.