Important Monday, October 19th Deadline

In This Issue

Thank You

Request Party Status

The COGCC Rulemaking

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www.accdan.org

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Colorado Oil & Gas Conservation Commission

OUR NEEDS

Deadlines for the COGCC Governor's Task Force Rulemaking are as follows:

October 19 - Deadline to request party status

October 28 - Deadline for pre-hearing statements

November 6 - Response to pre-hearing statements

November 9 - Pre-hearing conference

November 16 -

(9:00AM - 5:00PM) rulemaking hearing

November 17 -

(9:00AM - 5:00PM) rulemaking hearing

Thanks to Our Awesome Residents

Thank you to the many residents that participated in the COGCC stakeholder meetings this week regarding the proposed rules. A large number of people from our area showed up on Wednesday and Thursday and spoke very passionately and thoughtfully to the impacts of these rules on Wadley Farms and the surrounding neighborhoods. To the best of our knowledge, that was the largest group of citizens to participate in a stakeholder meeting and it absolutely got the attention of the COGCC. You were awesome!

Request Party Status in the COGCC Rulemaking

The deadline to become a party in the COGCC neighborhood drilling rulemaking is MONDAY October 19 th . A "party" in the rulemaking does not commit you to participate in the rulemaking process, but it does give you the ability to participate in the rulemaking to the extent you choose. A party can draft and receive prehearing statements and responses from other parties, participate in a prehearing conference, and provide testimony at rulemaking. If you do not request party status by the Monday deadline, you will have less time to speak to the Commission during the hearing, and fewer opportunities to impact the final COGCC rules.

TO REQUEST PARTY STATUS you can click here for a party status request form and instructions on the COGCC website .

In addition, contact the Adams County Commissioners and Thornton City Council Members to make sure Adams County and the City of Thornton have requested party status. We need our elected officials to take an active role in the COGCC rulemaking process.

The COGCC Rulemaking is About Neighborhood Drilling

The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission is holding a rulemaking to develop rules for oil and gas drilling in neighborhoods. The proposal requires additional local government consultation if a "large" facility is proposed within 1,000 feet of at least 22 homes. In the proposal, a "large" facility is eight wells OR MORE on a single location. The proposed rules also contain some additional "Best Management Practices" that the oil and gas operator will have to follow if they drill in the neighborhood.

WHAT THE DRAFT RULES DO NOT DO :

1) The proposed rules DO NOT require a larger setback for large oil and gas facilities. The current minimum setback from homes is 500 feet.

2) The proposed rules DO NOT allow neighboring residents the right of a hearing before the COGCC as to whether their neighborhood will be turned into an industrial zone.

3) The proposed rules DO NOT protect rural residents of the state. They only apply to "urban mitigation areas" which are defined as 22 homes within 1,000 feet of a proposed oil and gas location (or 11 homes within a half 1000-foot semi-circle.)

4) The proposed rules DO NOT require operators to submit an "alternative location analysis" to encourage operators to avoid homes and neighborhoods if possible.

5) The proposed rules DO NOT have an upper limit of how many wells can be drilled. The threshold for a "large" facility is 8 wells. But there have been proposals for 28 wells and 50 tanks next to neighborhoods.

6) The proposed rules WILL NOT prevent oil and gas development next to any neighborhood in Colorado.

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Eastlake, CO 80614

Thank you for your support!