Update: County Approves New Oil / Gas Drilling Rules

El Paso Co. Commissioners finalized rules and regulations for gas and oil drilling on Tuesday, narrowly voting to adopt new safety and environmental regulations.

Commissioners voted 3-2 in favor of lifting the suspension on drilling. Production had been on hold temporarily as several new proposals were weighed.

The new set of safety rules adopted Tuesday is much less stringent than the original set commissioners had hoped to adopt. Much of the language was toned down after concerns that the County might be overstepping its regulatory authority.

Commissioners presented a nearly finalized draft of the proposed regulations to the public during their meeting.

Commissioner Amy Lathen says it’s been a lengthy process that started a year ago. “We’ve been spending a lot of time determining the best practices for land use and the protection of resources as we go forward.”

Lathan said a draft went out at the end of last year for public comment.

Since then, she said county staff have been revising the original proposed regulations.

“That draft, the state deemed over regulatory, and we agreed on a number of issues,” she said.

During their Tuesday meeting, they addressed those concerns.

The public also got the chance to voice their opinions on regulating oil and gas drilling.

Some El Paso County residents expressed concerns about water safety and said they feared drilling could cause contamination.

There were also some who expressed frustrations over commissioners leaving fracking up to state regulators.

Some of the proposed regulations include: – Storage pits that have closed systems and tanks – Operators responsible for preventing adverse erosion impacts – Compressors must blend well with vegetated background – On-site fire protection may be required by fire marshal if inadequate protection exists under responsible jurisdiction