Colorado Safety
Colorado has some of the most stringent regulations in the nation to regulate hydraulic fracturing to ensure the safety of Colorado's citizens.
In Colorado, all operators using hydraulic fracturing must apply to get a permit to drill from the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC). In this application, they describe in detail their planned surface and downhole activities. This includes details on well design, location spacing, operation plans, water management and disposal plans, waste management and disposal plans, air emissions, wildlife impacts, surface disturbance, and worker health and safety precautions.
The COGCC also oversees all drilling operations, including prevention of surface spills, ensuring adequate cementing through cement bond logs and mechanical integrity tests, and monitoring of the surface casing and production casing annulus during fracturing operations for any signs of problems
Finally, operators must disclose information related to the contents of hydraulic fracturing fluids to the COGCC including both hazardous and nonhazardous chemicals. In the case of any spills or fluid release, the COGCC provides this information to emergency responders and state health personnel.
Drilling practices vary from location to location based on unique geological characterizes of the region. This is why state-level oversight is so important. Close scrutiny ensures that agency officials understand the operations in each location. By law, state regulations must be at least as protective as any and all federal standards.
