Great news! A new law SB24-185 has been signed that protects oil and gas owned by local government from being “force pooled” or developed without their consent. This law was introduced by Boulder County lawmakers in part to protect Boulder County’s mineral rights which had been threatened by oil and gas companies who attempted to drill 32 fracking wells on land which Boulder County owns a conservation easement. The underground well bores would have reached under the county line to drain the County-owned oil and gas under it’s Open Space land.
This law puts control of thousands of acres of Boulder County’s mineral rights in the county’s hands and protects all of Colorado’s other publicly owned mineral rights. The bill also contains provisions that will benefit all private mineral owners, not just governments. It requires operators to provide clear proof of the mineral rights they claim to own or control and prohibits any drilling before the owners’ permission or a ECMC order has first been obtained.
Read more: HERE
