Governor has plan to make the oil and gas industry in Colorado safer.

Governor has plan to make the oil and gas industry in Colorado safer.

Maura Bennett
Maura Bennett
Governor John Hickenlooper has outlined plan to make the oil and gas industry in Colorado safer. The plan comes after a three month safety study following a deadly explosion linked to a severed gas pipeline in Firestone last Spring.

Among the recommendations is legislation banning all future domestic gas taps.

"Often times when a oil and gas company drills on a rancher's land, part of the part of the transaction in the lease is that if there is a discovery then they get a gas line into their own kitchen or home. And they get free gas. In the end, we believe and many of the stakeholders believe that the risks of these domestic taps outweigh their benefits.I think the oil and gas companies would be willing to pay the equivalent to the rancher or farmer to make sure they don't have these taps coming into their home. So this would prohibit domestic gas taps going forward.

He also wants the industry to pay to plug the nearly 800 orphan wells abandoned years ago, strengthen regulations and improve safety training and enhancing the 811 one-call system for contractors and others who plan to dig on their properties.

The changes would come through voluntary compliance and new legislation to be introduced later.

Previous ReportEPA Wants Input on WOTUS from Farmers and Ranchers
Next ReportNational Farmers Union fights for Bio-Fuels