Colorado production

Colorado’s Air Quality Control Commission (AQCC) on Wednesday unanimously adopted ambitious rules aimed at curbing local air pollution and climate-warming greenhouse gas emissions from state oil and natural gas operations.

The rules will require high frequency monitoring for gas leaks during the pre-production phase of wells, representing “the first state regulatory system of its kind in the country,” AQCC said.

Although different provisions will take effect at different times, the monitoring requirements will take effect as of May 31, 2021, Andrew Bare, spokesman for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, told NGI’s Shale Daily.

The new rules were written under the framework of Senate Bill 181, the landmark legislation strengthening regulatory...