Historical Colorado fracking information, 1901-2016
 in Colorado |
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This page contains historical information about fracking in Colorado. For more current information about fracking in Colorado, see this article.
Fracking background
- See also: Fracking
Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is a method of oil and natural gas extraction. The process involves injecting fluid into subterranean rock formation at a high pressure, creating a fracture network that allows the crude oil and natural gas inside dense rocks to flow into a wellbore and be extracted at the surface. The fluid used in this process is made up of sand and water, which comprise 95 percent of the fluid, and other chemical additives, which comprise less than 5 percent of the fluid.[1]
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), there were approximately 23,000 hydraulically fractured wells in the United States in 2000. By 2015, there were an estimated 300,000 hydraulically fractured wells. To learn more about fracking, see this article.[2][3]
History
In 1901, the first recorded oil well in Colorado was drilled in the Pierre Shale formation. In 1969, an early form of hydraulic fracturing was used near Rifle, Colorado. According to the Leeds School of Business, fracking occurred in the Watternberg Gas Field beginning in 1973, constituting one of the first large-scale fracking operations.[4]
Production
The graphs below detail oil and natural gas production in Colorado from 1952 to 2012.
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Fracking at the ballot box
| Voting on Fracking | ||
|---|---|---|
| ||
| Policy | ||
| Fracking policy | ||
| Ballot Measures | ||
| By state | ||
| By year | ||
Not on ballot
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November 2014 (potential measures)
The following local ballot measures were set to appear on ballots in November 2014. On August 4, 2014, however, negotiations between fracking opponents and supporters resulted in these measures being removed from the November ballot.[5]
- Colorado Environmental Rights Amendment (2014)
- Colorado Fiscal Impact of Ballot Measures Initiative (2014)
- Colorado Local Regulation of Oil and Gas Amendment (2014)
- Colorado Distribution of Oil and Gas Revenue Initiative (2014)
- Colorado Distribution of Oil and Gas Revenue Initiative (2014)
- Colorado Mandatory Setback of Oil and Gas Wells Amendment (2014)
- Colorado Local Regulation of Oil and Gas Development Initiative (2014)
June 2014
On June 24, 2014, Loveland voters defeated a ballot initiative to suspend fracking for two years.
November 2013
In November 2013, three towns passed ballot initiatives that imposed five-year fracking suspensions:
In November 2013, one town passed a ballot initiative imposing an indefinite ban on fracking:
November 2012
In November 2012, one town passed a ballot initiative that imposed an indefinite ban on fracking:
Related lawsuits
On May 2, 2016, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that state hydraulic fracturing laws preempted local laws. As a result, fracking bans in Longmont and Fort Collins were rendered "invalid and unenforceable." According to Mark Matthews, an attorney for the Colorado Oil and Gas Association, because this issue only involved state laws, the case could not be brought to the Supreme Court of the United States, despite earlier pledges by anti-fracking lawyers and activists to do so. Dan Haley, the president and CEO of the Colorado Oil and Gas Association, called the court's ruling "a win" for Colorado residents. Lauren Petrie, the Rocky Mountain region director with Food and Water Watch, which supported the fracking bans, said, "Today's decision deals a devastating blow not just to Longmont residents, but to all Coloradans."[6][7][8]
Three other cities in Colorado banned fracking through the initiative process—Boulder, Broomfield, and Lafayette. On May 19, 2016, Boulder County Commissioners lifted that county's fracking moratorium and imposed a new six-month moratorium to allow officials time to update the county's oil- and gas-related statutes. The five-year moratorium on fracking in Broomfield was suspended during the Longmont trial. The Lafayette fracking ban was invalidated by a judge over voting process issues; the city did not appeal the ruling.[6][9]
Background
In 2012, Longmont voters approved a citizen-initiated charter amendment to ban hydraulic fracturing. The measure was approved by approximately 60 percent of voters. Two lawsuits were filed against Longmont over this ban, one of which involved the Colorado Oil and Gas Association (COGA) and the state's Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission as plaintiffs. According to a Colorado Open Records Act request, both lawsuits cost the city of Longmont almost $69,000 in legal fees as of March 31, 2013. On July 24, 2014, Boulder District Court Judge Dolores Mallard struck down the ban, finding that the city of Longmont "does not have the authority to prohibit what the state authorizes and permits." Mallard cited Voss v. Lundvall, a 1992 court ruling that gave states, rather than cities, control over oil and gas extraction regulations and bans. The ban, however, remained in effect, as Mallard's ruling was immediately stayed due to an appeal by the ban's supporters.[10][11][12]
On September 21, 2015, the Colorado Supreme Court agreed to hear the case. The court stated that it would rule on lawsuits related to fracking bans passed in both Longmont (2012) and Fort Collins (2013). Groups on both sides of the issue—Our Longmont, which supported the city's ban, and the Colorado Oil and Gas Association, which opposed such bans—welcomed the court's decision to make a ruling on the legality of local fracking bans in Colorado.[13]
Oil and Gas Task Force
As part of the negotiations that removed several fracking-related ballot measures from the ballot in November 2014, Governor John Hickenlooper created the Oil and Gas Task Force in September 2014. The task force consisted of "representatives from local government, civic organizations, environmental interests, agriculture, and affected industries." The task force was co-chaired by La Plata County Commissioner Gwen Lachelt and Randy Cleveland, the president of XTO Energy, Inc.[14][15]
According to The Durango Herald, the stated purpose of the commission was to release a set of recommendations with the goal of minimizing the "land use conflicts that can occur when siting oil and gas facilities near homes, schools, businesses, and recreational areas."[14]
The task force made nine recommendations that two-thirds of the 21-member task force supported; these recommendations are listed below. There were 27 recommendations that did not win a two-thirds vote. All 36 recommendations were passed on to Governor Hickenlooper in two separate reports.[16]
Oil and Gas Task Force recommendations
| “ |
[1.] Facilitate collaboration of local governments, Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission [COGCC] and operators relative to oil and gas locations and urban planning ... [2.] Include future oil and gas drilling and production facilities in existing local comprehensive planning processes ... [3.] Enhance the local government liaison and local government designee roles and functions ... [4.] Increase COGCC full time staff, including inspectors, field operations, enforcement, and permitting staff ... [5.] Related to CDPHE [Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment] staffing, a health complaint line, a human health risk assessment, and a mobile air quality monitoring unit ... [6.] Create an oil and gas information clearinghouse ... [7.] Reduce truck traffic on public streets, roads, and highways for oil and gas activities ... [8.] Implement a compliance assistance program ... [9.] Recommendation to general assembly regarding air quality rules. [17] |
” |
| —Oil and Gas Task Force, Colorado Department of Natural Resources, "Colorado Oil and Gas Task Force Final Report," February 27, 2015 | ||
Three of these proposals "require legislative action" and were expected to go to the state legislature in March 2015.[14][16][18]
| Members of the Colorado Oil and Gas Task Force | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Member | Position | ||
| Sara Barwinski | Member of community group, Weld Air and Water | ||
| Bernie Buescher | Former Colorado Secretary of State | ||
| Peter Dea | President & CEO, Cirque Resources LP | ||
| Jim Fitzgerald | Rancher, educator, activist | ||
| Russ George | Former Speaker of the House and former exec. director of Department of Natural Resources | ||
| Jon Goldin-Dubois | President, Western Resources Advocates | ||
| Brad Holly | Vice president of operations (Rocky Mountain Region), Anadarko | ||
| Dan Kelly | Vice president of Wattenberg Business Unit, Noble Energy | ||
| Rebecca Kourlis | Retired justice of the Colorado Supreme Court; executive director, Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System | ||
| Steve Moreno | Clerk and Recorder, Weld County | ||
| Perry Pearce | Manager of state government affairs (Rocky Mountain Region), ConocoPhillips | ||
| Kent Peppler | President, Rocky Mountain Farmers Union, farmer | ||
| Pat Quinn | Former mayor, Broomfield | ||
| Bruce Rau | Vice chairman/treasurer, Colorado Association of Home Builders | ||
| Jeff Robbins | Attorney, Goldman Robbins & Nicholson | ||
| Matt Sura | Attorney, Law Office of Matthew Sura | ||
| Will Toor | Former Boulder mayor and Boulder County Commissioner | ||
| Elbra Wedgeworth | Chief government & community relations officer, Denver Health | ||
| Scot Woodall | President & CEO, Bill Barrett Corporation | ||
| Source: State of Colorado | |||
Fracking in the 50 states
Click on a state below to read more about energy in that state.
See also
External links
- Colorado Profile at the U.S. Energy Information Administration
- Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission
- Colorado Department of Public Health
- Colorado State Energy Office
Footnotes
- ↑ Frack Wire, “What is Fracking,” accessed January 28, 2014
- ↑ University of Oklahoma, "Hydraulic Fracturing and Water Resources," accessed March 12, 2014
- ↑ U.S. Energy Information Administration, "Hydraulic fracturing accounts for about half of current U.S. crude oil production," March 15, 2016
- ↑ Leeds School of Business, Business Research Division, University of Colorado Boulder, "Hydraulic Fracturing Ban, The Economic Impact of a Statewide Fracking Ban in Colorado," March 2014
- ↑ Governing, "Last-Minute Deal Keeps Fracking Measure Off Colorado Ballot," August 5, 2014
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Denver Business Journal, "Colorado Supreme Court rules on local fracking bans," May 2, 2016
- ↑ The Supreme Court of the State of Colorado, "No. 15SC668, City of Fort Collins v. Colo. Oil and Gas Ass’n—Moratoria—12 Preemption," May 2, 2016
- ↑ The Supreme Court of the State of Colorado, No. 15SC667, City of Longmont v. Colo. Oil and Gas Ass’n—Preemption—Inalienable Rights Provision," May 2, 2016
- ↑ Daily Camera, "Boulder County ends fracking moratorium, imposes another," May 19, 2016
- ↑ Coloradan.com, "As Fort Collins awaits similar fracking lawsuit, Longmont racks up $69,000 in legal fees," May 2, 2013
- ↑ Inside Climate News, "Colorado: Judge Strikes Down Town's Fracking Ban," July 25, 2014
- ↑ Times Call, "Longmont seeks reversal of ruling that overturned city's fracking ban," January 17, 2015
- ↑ Tri-City Herald, "Colorado's high court to decide if cities can ban fracking," September 21, 2015
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 The Durango Herald, "Oil, gas panel hints at priorities," November 21, 2014
- ↑ Colorado.gov, "Oil and Gas Task Force," accessed November 24, 2014
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Denver Post, "Colorado oil and gas task force sends 9 measures on to governor's desk," February 24, 2015
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ State of Colorado, "Gov. Hickenlooper announces members of oil and gas task force to address local control and land use issues," September 8, 2014
