Enforcement Report – Colorado COGCC

Inadequate enforcement means current Colorado oil and gas development is irresponsible

The Colorado General Assembly created the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission to “foster the responsible development of Colorado’s oil and gas natural resources.”To do so, the COGCC developed and implemented regulations to govern the oil and gas industry.

Unfortunately, COGCC fails to achieve its mission thanks to its inadequate enforcement of its own rules. Current oil and gas development is irresponsible because under current regulatory enforcement:

• Inspection capacity is inadequate;
• Violations are not consistently assessed;
• Violations are inadequately reported and tracked;
• Fines are rarely issued to violators;
• Fines are inadequate to punish or prevent irresponsible behavior by oil and gas operators;
• The environment is not protected.