Coga

Calling it a glimpse of the future under proposed energy regulatory reform now moving through the Colorado legislature, industry representatives are blasting a decision by the Adams County’s elected Board of Commissioners to establish a temporary moratorium on new drilling.

Plugging and reclaiming 4,000 old wells in Colorado has allowed the oil and natural gas sector to slash ozone-causing pollutants, the Colorado Oil and Gas Association (COGA) reported on Monday.

Two oil and natural gas industry groups on Tuesday filed a lawsuit challenging rules established in Thornton, CO, about seven miles north of Denver, claiming they conflict with existing state regulations for energy extraction.

Improvements have been made and can continue to be made in efforts to reduce air pollution, even as Colorado’s population grows and oil and gas drilling continues, according to Colorado’s top oil and gas trade group.

Rep. Rob Bishop (R-UT), chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources, has urged the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to revise its draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) for previously issued oil/natural gas leases in the White River National Forest in Colorado to consider new reserve estimates from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected a request by shareholders of BP plc to revive a class action lawsuit that asserted the oil major misrepresented safety procedures before the Macondo blowout in April 2010(Ludlow, et al. v BP plc, et al., No. 15-952). The high court affirmed a September 2015 decision by the U.S. Court Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in New Orleans, which refused to certify a petition filed by investors that bought shares up to 2.5 years before the tragic incident. BP had argued that the lawsuit should not proceed because the plaintiffs improperly were seeking damages for the entire decline in the share price as a result of the incident. The appeals court said some investors might have bought stock knowing the risks, and ruled that investors could sue BP individually. The appeals court also in the ruling allowed a lawsuit by investors to move forward concerning shares that were bought after the incident.

The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected a request by shareholders of BP plc to revive a class action lawsuit that asserted the oil major misrepresented safety procedures before the Macondo blowout in April 2010(Ludlow, et al. v BP plc, et al., No. 15-952). The high court affirmed a September 2015 decision by the U.S. Court Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in New Orleans, which refused to certify a petition filed by investors that bought shares up to 2.5 years before the tragic incident. BP had argued that the lawsuit should not proceed because the plaintiffs improperly were seeking damages for the entire decline in the share price as a result of the incident. The appeals court said some investors might have bought stock knowing the risks, and ruled that investors could sue BP individually. The appeals court also in the ruling allowed a lawsuit by investors to move forward concerning shares that were bought after the incident.

Two proposals that could expand local control over oil/natural gas activities — or that could expand the operators’ liability for drilling-related seismic events — have hit roadblocks in the Colorado legislature.

The West Slope chapter of the Colorado Oil and Gas Association (COGA) on Monday said initial production (IP) from a new natural gas well in the Mancos formation near the disputed Thompson Divide is “prolific,” and the results are strong enough to positively influence pending federal leasing decisions.