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Oil & Gas
Oil and gas is a top priority in the Town of Erie. We continue to work together and establish those priorities with Town staff, residents, legal teams, experts and professionals, other municipalities, the State, and the oil and gas industry as we protect Erie’s health and safety.
The Town of Erie sends Oil & Gas Operations email and text alerts to subscribers. Subscribe with the Notify Me menu or view the archive of all oil and gas notifications that have been sent to the Town of Erie Oil and Gas subscribers.
June 21, 2021 Oil & Gas Setbacks Listening Session
The Town held a listening session for the public to discuss options for proposed oil and gas site setbacks.
Feb. 11, 2021 Oil & Gas Q&A /Listening Session
The Town hosted a Question & Answer/Listening Session in partnership with the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) and the Weld County Oil and Gas Energy Department. The Mae J site is located east of Colliers Boulevard and north of Weld County Road 10.
- Watch the Q&A/Listening Session
- View the news release
- Read the questions and answers
Materials shared by Occidental (the Mae J Well Site Operator):
- Occidental Fact Sheet
- Yellowhammer and Papa Jo well sites notice
The Town of Erie is committed to providing responsive and effective leadership by supporting an open, transparent, and accountable government.
- View Town of Erie Oil & Gas notifications
- Register for emergency notifications (Boulder and Weld counties)
- Submit comments on State oil and gas permits
- Access the Town of Erie Emergency Operations Plan
- Contact Town of Erie with oil and gas questions
- Operator Contact Information
- Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC)
- COGCC Complaint Filing
- Colorado Department of Public Health & the Environment (CDPHE) - Oil & Gas and Your Health
- Health concern data by zip code
- Air Quality Data
Note: The Local Government Designee is notified by the State anytime a permit for oil and gas activity is requested within the Town of Erie.
Reciprocal Setbacks
The following options for setbacks were created to allow Erie to develop new residential, commercial, or other property for human occupancy consistent with Town goals, plans, policies, and regulations while protecting occupants from negative impacts to public health, safety, and welfare from existing oil and gas well sites.
The options are based on direction from the Board of Trustees to strengthen the Town’s existing 350 foot setback from operating wells and 25 feet from pipelines and plugged and abandoned wells, staff proposes the Board enact an ordinance that amends the Unified Development Code (UDC) to require property developers to establish setbacks and comply with other measures to protect occupants of the development from impacts of existing surface and subsurface oil and gas facilities. The ordinance could take three alternative approaches detailed below or in the prepared document.
Any proposed development within 2,000ft of existing oil and gas well sites shall include notice in any purchase and sale agreement for lots within the property providing notice that the property is within 2,000ft of one or more existing oil and gas well sites and providing a vicinity map showing the location of the property and the oil and gas well sites.
- Require developers proposing to develop land in Erie within 2,000 feet of existing oil and gas well sites or pipelines to:
- Identify all existing oil and gas surface and subsurface facilities within 2,000 feet of the property on the development application.
- Locate all lot lines for lots to be used for occupied structures no less than 350 feet from existing oil and gas well sites and 25 feet from oil and gas pipelines.
- Include a plat note identifying lots that are within 2,000 feet of existing oil and gas well sites or pipelines (to be recorded with clerk and recorder). The plat note shall identify by location, ownership etc. each discrete oil and gas site.
- Include a plat note that notice shall be provided by seller to all prospective purchasers and lessees at least 10 days before closing of the location of any existing oil and gas well sites or pipelines within 2,000 feet of existing oil and gas well sites or pipelines.
Same notice requirements and all lot lines for lots to be used for occupied structures shall be located 500 feet or more from existing oil and gas well sites and 50 feet or more from existing pipelines and plat notes will be required. There shall be an exemption for lands for which Annexation is pending as of the date of these regulations; such lands shall comply with the current 350 foot setback for occupied structures from oil and gas operations.
- Require developers proposing to develop land in Erie within 2,000 feet of existing oil and gas well sites or pipelines to:
- Identify all existing oil and gas surface and subsurface facilities within 2,000 feet of the property on the development application.
- Locate all lot lines for lots to be used for occupied structures no less than 500 feet from existing oil and gas well sites and 50 feet from oil and gas pipelines.
- Include a plat note identifying lots that are within 2,000 feet of existing oil and gas well sites or pipelines (to be recorded with clerk and recorder). The plat note shall identify by location, ownership etc. each discrete oil and gas site.
- Include a plat note that notice shall be provided by seller to all prospective purchasers and lessees at least 10 days before closing of the location of any existing oil and gas well sites or pipelines within 2,000 feet of existing oil and gas well sites or pipelines.
Same notice requirements and all lot lines for lots to be used for occupied structures shall be located:
- 1,000 feet from existing oil and gas well sites – unless the applicant obtains a waiver at preliminary plat to locate a lot line less that 1,000 feet (but no less than 500 feet) from an existing oil and gas well site.
- 300 feet from existing oil and gas pipelines - unless the applicant obtains a waiver at preliminary plat to locate a lot line less than 300 feet (but no less than 50 feet) from an existing oil and gas pipeline.
- There shall be an exemption for lands for which Annexation is pending as of the date of these regulations; such lands shall comply with the current 350 foot setback for occupied structures from oil and gas operations.
Waivers from the requirement to locate lot lines for lots to be used for occupied structures 1,000 feet from oil and gas well sites and 300 feet from pipelines:
- The Director may grant a waiver to locate lot lines for lots to be used for occupied structures less than 1,000 feet (but not less than 500 feet) from existing oil and gas well sites, and 300 feet (but not less than 50 feet) from existing pipelines if:
- An Alternatives Analysis demonstrates that the property cannot be developed without locating a lot line for lots to be used for occupied structures less than 1,000 feet from existing oil and gas well sites or less than 300 feet from existing oil and gas pipelines; and
- Applicant enters into a development agreement at with the Town that provides:
- Prior to final plat approval for any phase of the development, the developer will provide certification from a registered engineer that any existing well(s) that is less than 1,000 feet from the property line for lots to be used for occupied structures:
(1) is in production and compliant with all COGCC and AQCC regulations; or
(2) has been plugged and abandoned in compliance with current COGCC requirements. - Prior to final plat approval for any phase of development, the developer will provide certification from a registered engineer that any existing pipeline(s) that is within 300 feet of the property line for lots to be used for occupied structures has been closed and abandoned and does not pose a danger to human health or safety or removed in accordance with COGCC regulations.
- Other buffering and screening techniques to be implemented.
- Prior to final plat approval for any phase of the development, the developer will provide certification from a registered engineer that any existing well(s) that is less than 1,000 feet from the property line for lots to be used for occupied structures:
Plat Notes shall include:
- Identification of all lots that are within 1,000 feet of existing oil and gas well sites or pipelines (to be recorded with clerk and recorder). The plat note shall identify by location, ownership etc. each discrete oil and gas site.
- A requirement that notice shall be provided by seller to all prospective purchasers and lessees at least 10 days before closing of the location of any existing oil and gas well sites or pipelines within 2,000 feet of existing oil and gas well sites or pipelines.
An application for a preliminary plat shall include:
- In addition to information regarding the applicant, the application shall identify the location, owner and status of all surface and subsurface oil and gas facilities within 2,000 feet of the property to be developed.
- The currently anticipated timeframe for each phase of the development.
- Referral comments from COGCC regarding status of existing oil and gas well sites 2,000 feet or less from the development.