Public Hearing to Consider Status of Temporary Moratorium on the Processing of New Oil and Gas Permits
Public comment for the 11:30 a.m., Tuesday, Dec. 13 hearing
will be taken in written
form
Boulder County, Colo. – At
a public hearing on Dec. 13, the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) will consider
the status of a temporary moratorium on the processing of new oil and gas permits that extends through January 2017 .
The moratorium was put in place
on Nov. 17, following a 6-hour public hearing on Nov. 15 where the County
Commissioners took public comment on draft oil and gas regulations presented by
county staff.
At the meeting on Nov. 17, the County
Commissioners gave direction to staff to further investigate specific public
health and safety issues related to oil and gas development operations and to
pursue changes to the draft oil and gas regulations before the County
Commissioners take action on adopting updated regulations.
At the upcoming public hearing on Tuesday, Dec. 13, staff will
provide an estimate of the time needed to complete the requested research and
to develop amendments to the proposed regulations. Based on that information, the BOCC will then determine whether to terminate, further extend, or
otherwise amend the moratorium.
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When: Tuesday, Dec. 13 at 11:30 a.m. (No verbal testimony will be taken, but written comments will be taken for this hearing. Comments may be e-mailed to oilgascomment@bouldercounty.org, sent via U.S. Mail or dropped off at the Commissioners’ Office by 8 a.m. on Dec. 13.)
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Where: Commissioners’ Hearing Room, Boulder County Courthouse, third floor, 1325 Pearl St., Boulder (map)
Background
On Nov. 17, the Board of
County Commissioners adopted a resolution (Resolution 2016-130) formalizing an extension of the
temporary moratorium on processing oil and gas development
applications through January 2017.
Two days prior to that meeting, the
Board of County Commissioners held a 6-hour public hearing on DC-16-0004
Amendments to Oil and Gas Development Regulations.
On account of the fact that the County
Commissioners held an in-person public hearing on Nov. 15 to collect verbal
comments on the subject of oil and gas development in unincorporated Boulder
County, public comment for the Dec. 13 hearing will
be taken in written form only.
“We appreciate all of the public input
and hard work that has already gone into developing a set of draft regulations
to address the adverse public health and safety impacts of oil and gas
development in our community,” said Boulder County Commissioners Chair Elise
Jones. “However, despite the extensive work and long hours, we must ensure that
we have the absolute best protections in place before we can move forward.”
For more information about the
county’s role in oil and gas development, visit the county’s Oil and Gas Development webpage.
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