Oil, gas driller settles to $73 million in pollution case

Major oil and gas driller Noble Energy has agreed to pay more than $73 million in a settlement with state and federal regulators over Front Range air-pollution violations.

The Denver Post reports that the company’s tank batteries were emitting thousands of tons of chemicals a year, contributing to the region’s ozone pollution problem.

The Houston-based energy mammoth has agreed to evaluate its 3,400 tank batteries in the Denver-Julesburg basin, which stretches from Denver to the Wyoming border, and make the needed upgrades.

Noble did not admit to any wrongdoing in the settlement, but has agreed to spend $60 million in improvements. A $4.95 civil penalty will be split between the federal government and the state. Colorado will receive about $1.5 million.