The Colorado Energy and Carbon Management Commission approved a proposal that allows Civitas Resources to move forward with its plan to put more than 150 new oil and gas wells on 32,000 acres near the Aurora Reservoir.
The Lowry Ranch Comprehensive Area Plan in Arapahoe County was met with great pushback from residents in the area.
“It was a little bit concerning, a little bit shocking,” said Kevin Chan with Save the Aurora Reservoir, or STAR for short. The group is concerned about environmental impacts and the proximity to a water source and a Superfund site. Chan said the plan is insufficient. “It did not address the cumulative impacts or the comprehensiveness of whatever is going to happen in Lowry Ranch,” he said.
Commissioners approve Lowry Ranch oil and gas plan with caveat
In the meeting, several commissioners said they were concerned about the cumulative impacts but approved the plan with the caveat that all sites use electric equipment. The next phase of the process could address the specific locations of the well sites. “I believe that approach provides me at least with a comfort level that at the Comprehensive Area Plan stage, this is approvable,” Chairman Jeff Robbins said.
In a statement, Civitas Chief Operating Officer Hodge Walker said: “This CAP approval is the result of thorough work by the Civitas team and extensive stakeholder engagement to ensure the safe development of Colorado’s important natural resources, while protecting the environment and minimizing impacts to our communities.”
In a statement, the American Petroleum Institute said in part: ” … This decision to approve the Lowry Ranch Comprehensive Area Plan exemplifies that through hard work and due diligence from our operators, Colorado is still open for business … .” The Sierra Club condemned the decision, and the STAR group is now looking at its options moving forward.
Source: kdvr.com