Conservation

President Bush last Wednesday signed into law energy legislation (HR 6) that contains a lot of Christmas goodies for proponents of energy conservation and renewable fuels production, but oil and natural gas producers and consumers got a lump of coal in their stockings.

While California regulators continue to emphasize efficiency, conservation and renewable energy, long-term power plans could include substantial supplies from billions of dollars of traditional natural gas-fired generation.

How much radioactive contamination is too much? The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) will wrestle with that question over the next few months as it sorts out whether to allow producers to explore the natural gas-prone area near the nuclear blast site at Project Rulison.

How much radioactive contamination is too much? The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) will wrestle with that question over the next few months as it sorts out whether to allow producers to explore the natural gas-prone area near the nuclear blast site at Project Rulison.

As special power conservation alerts were being issued across the state, the California Energy Commission (CEC) voted Wednesday to accept an application to begin review for a proposed 850 MW natural gas peaking power plant to be built in the desert in Riverside County near Palm Springs and Desert Hot Springs. If constructed the plant would be called into service during heat waves such as those in the last few days which strain the state’s power delivery capacity.

Approved applications for permits-to-drill (APD) in Colorado are up 4% from the same time a year ago and are on pace to break all previous records, the Colorado Oil & Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) said in a report issued Monday.

Tulsa-based Williams received four awards from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) for its efforts in the Piceance Basin to apply new drilling technology, establish cooperative relationships with communities and reduce emissions and truck traffic associated with new developments. Williams, which employs 400 in Colorado, received a best management practice award from BLM for integrating a new technology that can drill and complete up to 22 natural gas wells from a single drilling location. Outstanding operations awards were given by the COGCC for a hydrogeology survey to study water quality, road and tunnel construction to shorten the driven distance to a new area, and centralizing the hydraulic fracturing process to eliminate trucking water from the North Rulison field.

Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter has picked five new members for the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC), fulfilling a campaign promise to increase and broaden the representation and pool of experience of the panel that oversees the state’s energy development.

Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter has picked five new members for the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC), fulfilling a campaign promise to increase and broaden the representation and pool of experience of the panel that oversees the state’s energy development.