COGCC Rules in Jeopardy - Act Now !

Colorado Oil & Gas Conservation Commission

Rules in Jeopardy

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Contact Rep. Kathleen Curry to support her

in opposing HB 1255

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Vote Scheduled for Friday, February 20th at 1:30 pm

Colorado is on the front edge of a dramatic oil and gas drilling boom, necessitating the updated oversight of drilling. Since 1999, drilling permits are up 600% and projections call for 120,000 new wells to be drilled in Colorado in the next 30 years.

In early December, the Colorado Oil & Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) updated its regulations by and 8-0 vote. The unanimous, 8-0 vote demonstrates the consensus achieved on the Commission in support of these rules. HCCA realizes it took tremendous compromise to reach an agreement on these rules. The COGCC is to be commended for the enormous amount of time they spent on this process and for ensuring the final protections achieve a fair balance. However, attempts to gut these regulations are under way and the updated rules need your voice to keep them in place.

Ultimately these updated rules will help protect Colorado's air/water quality and wildlife habitat while still allowing oil & gas companies to continue to operate in the state. Other noteworthy improvements in the new rules include:

• Establishing a 300 foot no drill buffer around streams that serve public drinking water supplies.

• Requiring companies to keep track of and disclose to state and emergency responders chemicals they use in drilling operations.

Colorado State Representative Kathleen Curry has been working tirelessly to make sure the COGCC's efforts don't get thwarted by misguided attempts to scale back the new rules. The introduction of HB 1255 by Cory Gardner (R-Wray) is one such effort that would gut wildlife protections and eliminate important feedback from public health and wildlife experts in oil & gas drilling.

Please show your support for Rep. Curry by contacting her TODAY to thank her for her leadership on this issue and ask her to oppose HB 1255. Write a letter to the editor of the Gunnison Times and Crested Butte News in support of her work on the COGCC rules.

Email, Call or Write:

State Representative Kathleen Curry

200 E. Colfax

Denver, CO 80203

Capitol Phone: (303) 866-2945

E-mail: kathleen.curry.house@state.co.us

Gunnison Times

218 N. Wisconsin

Gunnison, CO 81230

E-mail: editor@gunnisontimes.com

Crested Butte News

PO Box 369

Crested Butte, CO 81224

E-mail: editorial@crestedbuttenews.com

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UPDATE

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Thanks to your letters and your support of Rep. Curry, HB 1255 was killed in committee of February 20th in a 7-6 vote.