Protecting Erie: By residents, for residents.
The Colorado Energy & Carbon Management Commission, fka COGCC
Have you ever used the Colorado Energy & Carbon Management Commission’s Complaint tool? It’s the primary mechanism for impacted residents to raise concerns about oil & gas operations in Colorado, but it’s a bit of a black hole — you rarely know what happens to your complaint after you submit it.
Continue reading “The Life of an ECMC Complaint”In response to public comment made during their October 29th meeting, Ellice Devine, ECMC UIC Program Coordinator gave an update on data issues discovered in produced water reporting.
In Summary:
Chair Robbins: This is the Energy and Carbon Management Commission. It is October 22nd, 2025. We are back in session. We’re going to take up docket 2301, an oil and gas development plan, the Washington OGDP. This one has an unusual procedural history. I think it was in September we heard the Washington OGDP and the commission voted at that time to stay further consideration of this matter. That was based upon the uncontroverted fact that there was a bald eagle nest within a distance that precluded the commission from being able to favorably vote on the OGDP.
Chair Robbins:Â My understanding from the record that I’ve read is that since that time and here in the recent weeks, the tree that contained the bald eagle nest lost not one, not two, but three limbs. And the third limb that was lost, it was blown down, contained the actual eagle’s nest. And my understanding is that if we were to speak with the CPW folks, they would confirm all of that and they would also confirm to us that there is no longer an objection from Colorado Parks and Wildlife relevant to the eagle’s nest and that it is no longer a factor for consideration by the commission in terms of looking at the OGDP in question. So the wildlife concern no longer exists. So with that I think the first order of action, and I’m looking to Attorney Boudreaux to maybe show up as well. Do I need to take any evidence on any of that or can that all just be sort of understood by commission as being true because then I’m going to take up the unopposed motion to vacate the stay.
Continue reading “Washington OGDP Docket 2301 Hearing Transcript (Bald Eagle Nest): October 22, 2025”
Now that the ECMC Chemical Disclosures “database” has data for 158 locations, let’s look at the chemicals disclosed. We previously looked at the chemical disclosure for the Cosslett East location, and found 4 chemicals (by CAS Number) that Crestone Peak Resources had never before listed in their FracFocus disclosures.
As of July 17, 2025, the ECMC Chemical Disclosures data contain 4,735 chemical entries for 158 locations and 172 distinct chemical CAS Numbers. These are the 28 chemicals that have never before been disclosed to FracFocus for any Colorado frac job, according to their CAS Number, as well as their general purpose in oil & gas extraction.
Continue reading “ECMC Chemical Disclosures Include 28 Never-Before Disclosed Chemicals”At their regularly scheduled April 2, 2025 meeting, the ECMC Commissioners heard an update from Director Julie Murphy about the data integrity/falsification regarding spill sample laboratory analyses by Eagle Environmental Consulting and Tasman, Inc.
Below is a transcript of Chair Robbins’ testimony during the March 26, 2025 deliberations on the Draco Oil & Gas Development Plan (OGDP). Please excuse any transcription errors.
Chair Robbins: Thanks to all my fellow Commissioners for the deliberative thoughts. I think if anything this should demonstrate once again to the 139 people listening in that we really work hard to make the appropriate determination for the state of Colorado with regard to these sorts of things. I too am in favor of the application for the reasons as articulated by my fellow Commissioners. I believe it addresses the avoid, minimize, and mitigate hierarchy. I appreciate the best management practices and I too want to echo Commissioner Akerman’s points that I think this process has demonstrated to us and to the communities we serve the opportunity to ensure that even relevant approximate local governments can have an ability to be at the table and I think that’s what we’ve done here.
Continue reading “Draco OGDP Chair Robbins Testimony and Final Deliberations”Below is a transcript of Commissioner Oeth’s testimony during the March 26, 2025 deliberations on the Draco Oil & Gas Development Plan (OGDP). Please excuse any transcription errors.
Commissioner Oeth: This is a really tough one, and I really appreciate my fellow Commissioners Cross and Messner starting us out and really doing a very thorough job of laying out so many of the complicated factors and considerations on all sides of this. This really does highlight the really challenging nature of this application—both the things that are really positive about it and those that are potentially concerning about it, and all those things that we have to take into consideration. So thank you for that.
Continue reading “Draco OGDP Commissioner Oeth Testimony”Below is a transcript of Commissioner Ackerman’s testimony during the March 26, 2025 deliberations on the Draco Oil & Gas Development Plan (OGDP). Please excuse any transcription errors.
Commissioner Ackerman: I appreciate my fellow Commissioners and their thoughts. I appreciate all the significant efforts on all sides, as has been expressed by others on this application. I particularly appreciate the thoughtful consideration of local jurisdictions, the staff, the director, and my fellow Commissioners.
I’ll be relatively brief as well. This application is a good illustration of why our deliberative process is so important to addressing ECMC’s mission, which is really simple to understand but complex to execute: protecting public health, safety, welfare, the environment, and wildlife resources. That’s the purpose of the Act, and the method of executing that is generally promulgating and enforcing rules pursuant to that mission.
Continue reading “Draco OGDP Commissioner Ackerman Testimony”Below is a transcript of Commissioner Cross’ testimony during the March 26, 2025 deliberations on the Draco Oil & Gas Development Plan (OGDP). Please excuse any transcription errors.
Commissioner Cross: I think initially I’ll start off saying I’m in favor of this application. I think there’s a lot of good things about it. I’ll start with the benefits of the location as applied for. I think when you look at the alternatives that were provided, this is definitely the best alternative. I’ll go into a little bit more detail on alternative 4 and 4.1 as it’s being called later, but just to talk about the overall benefits of this location.
Continue reading “Draco OGDP Commissioner Cross Testimony”Below is a transcript of Commissioner Messner’s testimony during the March 26, 2025 deliberations on the Draco Oil & Gas Development Plan (OGDP). Please excuse any transcription errors.
Commissioner Messner: Thanks, Mr. Chair. I’m going to have a little different perspective, I think. You know, we’ve been doing this a while now, and there’s a point—and we’ve been seeing it—where oil and gas development and subdivisions are colliding with one another. I think this is a really good example of where that’s happening, and I think we’re starting to see it more often. It’s certainly a challenging situation for all sides. You know, I think you can argue chicken or the egg on these, but the fact is that significantly sized new development, both on the housing side and the oil and gas side, are colliding with one another right now. The areas around the town of Erie is one of those places.
Continue reading “Draco OGDP Commissioner Messner Testimony”