Hickenlooper signs executive order to address abandoned wells

Today, Governor John Hickenlooper signed an executive order aimed at increasing safety measures for Colorado’s oil and gas industry.

This executive order was called for, in part, by a fatal house explosion that happened in Firestone in April of 2017 that killed two people and sent two to the hospital.

The explosion was caused by odorless gas seeping from a cut-off underground pipeline into the house through French drains and a sump pit.

Today’s executive order specifically addresses the safety concerns with more than 260 orphaned wells and 360 orphaned sites in Colorado and it prioritizes reclaiming those sites. It also holds those who profited from them responsible for the cleanup.

“I can’t overstate how important it is, I think, that we achieve these goals. I often talk about to you about quality of life in a state is dependent on our attention to detail, especially around public health, we have to address every aspect,” said Governor John Hickenlooper.

The list of orphaned wells will be available to the public on August 1 st . Hickenlooper says the state is working directly with the oil and gas industry to aggressively to make sure nothing like this happens again.

Click here to read the executive order.