Title
Minor Oil & Gas LDC Amendments
Body
Summary and Background Information:
The current Land Development Code (LDC) Oil and Gas regulations (ordinance 1891) were adopted by council in 2012. These regulations were a significant overhaul of the regulations previously in place since 2009, and involved an oil and gas working group, various stakeholder participation, and study sessions with Planning Commission and City Council. The regulations that were formed as a result of this process were intended to mirror and complement the regulations of the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) at that time.
Since 2012, the COGCC has passed various rulemakings and amendments to its regulations, and a number of district court rulings regarding Oil & Gas development have emerged. The purpose of the proposed amendments are limited in scope, and specifically to restate and reorganize city regulations and processes (including grammatical revisions), to remove problematic provisions to avoid pre-emption and ambiguity claims, and to revise the regulatory structure to improve outcomes. A subsequent round of amendments at a future date will consist of more comprehensive changes to the oil and gas regulations to match existing COGCC regulations, and current industry best practices.
The purpose of this study session is to review the proposed amendments, receive appropriate comments, and ensure that the City Council is comfortable with the proposed concepts and ideas of the amendments. As this is a study session only, no public meeting or voting will be required Monday evening.
Staff Responsible (Department Head): Robert Sheesley
Staff Member Presenting: Robert Sheesley
Financial Impact: N/A
Funding Source: N/A
Staff Recommendation: Study session is for feedback only
Suggested Motion: N/A