Colorado's Weld County Rolls Out Welcome Mat for Worried Gas Industry

摘要

A new Colorado law giving localities more authority over drilling operations has raised alarm bells across the gas industry,but one hydrocarbon-rich county is doing its part to ease producers' minds.Weld County last week created a new Oil and Gas Department to promote the energy sector and foster gas and oil development.County officials hope the 12-person department will help speed up the processing of drilling permits at a time when the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission has a backlog of thousands of applications.Drilling operations still need a state permit to operate,so it's unclear how state rules will mesh with Weld County's new program.State lawmakers last spring passed S.B.181,which was designed to give cities and counties more control over oil and gas operations in their jurisdictions(NGW Apr.8' 19).It was opposed by the energy industry and its allies who fear that output could be severely curtailed in the US' sixth-largest gas-producing state(NGW Apr.1' 19).