CLICS/CLICS2018A/commsumm.nsf
PUBLIC
BILL SUMMARY For SB18-063
SENATE COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE, NATURAL RESOURCES, & ENERGY
Date Feb 1, 2018
Location SCR 357
SB18-063 - Postponed Indefinitely
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02:12:01 PM |
Senator Jones, prime sponsor, discussed the provisions of Senate Bill 18-063 concerning financial assurance for oil and gas operators. The bill requires an oil and gas operator to provide financial assurance to the state that it is capable of fulfilling every obligation of the Oil and Gas Conservation Act. The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) in the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) must conduct an up-front financial viability analysis of an operator, and may only accept an assurance that clearly demonstrates the ability to finance every reasonably foreseeable eventuality related to compliance. The COGCC must set a fee by rule to recover the commission's cost to conduct the up-front financial viability analysis.
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02:13:08 PM |
The Surety and Fidelity Association of America and the America Insurance Association, submitted a letter of opposition to the bill [Attachment E].
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02:16:37 PM |
Jan Rose, representing herself, spoke in support of the bill and discussed a recent decision of the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) concerning spending from the Emergency Response Fund.
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02:21:37 PM |
Phil Doe, Be the Change, spoke in support
of the bill and discussed the costs of remediating abandoned oil and gas
wells [Attachment E].
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02:24:54 PM |
Brett Eggers, Rocky Mountain Surety Association,
spoke in opposition to the bill. He also responded to questions from
the committee about risk factors considered when companies issue reclamation
and plugging and abandoning bonds.
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02:30:51 PM |
Tracee Bently, Executive Director, Colorado
Petroleum Council, spoke in opposition to the bill.
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02:32:59 PM |
Ken Wonstollen, Colorado Petroleum Council,
Colorado Oil and Gas Association, spoke in opposition to the bill. He
also identified bonds required under current law for oil and gas development
and related activities. He responded to questions from the committee
about bonds he has sought for oil and gas development and state bonding
requirements.
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02:36:38 PM |
Barbara Mills Bria, President of Be the
Change, spoke in support of the bill.
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02:37:56 PM |
Marcia Martin, City of Longmont, spoke in support of the bill and distributed a copy of a soil, groundwater, and soil gas investigation that was commissioned by the city [Attachment F].
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02:43:40 PM |
Wes Wilson, Science Advisor for Be the Change, spoke in support of the bill.
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02:46:05 PM |
Marilyn Hughes, representing herself, spoke in support of the bill.
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02:49:07 PM |
Michael Watkins, representing himself, spoke in support of the bill.
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02:49:51 PM |
Megan Rast, Colorado Sierra Club, spoke
in support of the bill. She also discussed problems associated with
abandoned wells in Colorado and current well drilling activity.
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02:53:48 PM |
Brad Gibson, representing himself, spoke
in support for the bill and respond to prior testimony that was in opposition
to the bill. He also distributed a fact sheet on the bill [Attachment
G].
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02:57:03 PM |
Josh Joswick, Earthworks, spoke in support
of the bill and submitted a copy of his testimony [Attachment H].
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03:04:12 PM |
Andrew J. O'Connor, representing himself,
spoke in support of the bill and distributed information about subsidies
for oil and gas producers [Attachment I].
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03:06:35 PM |
Jeri Shepard, representing herself, spoke in support of the bill.
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03:07:02 PM |
Cindi Dominico, Boulder County Board of County Commissioners, spoke in support of the bill and discussed environmental and public safety problems related to oil and gas development.
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03:13:20 PM |
Dianna Orf, Associated Governments of Northwest Colorado, spoke in opposition to the bill.
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03:15:28 PM |
Anita Lynch, representing herself, spoke in support of the bill.
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03:17:56 PM |
Jacob Forman, representing himself, spoke in support of the bill.
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03:20:55 PM |
Matt Sura, Conservation Colorado, spoke
in support of the bill and discussed the cost to properly plug and abandon
an oil and gas well. He also distributed a letter from Matt Lapore,
Executive Director of the COGCC, to Senator Ray Scott and Representative
Bob Rankin concerning the cost to properly plug and abandon a well the
number of abandoned wells [Attachment J].
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03:23:19 PM |
Sandy Toland, representing herself, spoke in supoort of the bill.
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03:24:41 PM |
The chair closed testimony and Senator
Jones closed his remarks on the bill.
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03:30:20 PM
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Motion |
Refer Senate Bill 18-063 to the Committee on Appropriations. |
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| Moved |
Jones |
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| Seconded |
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Cooke |
No |
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Coram |
No |
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Donovan |
Yes |
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Fenberg |
Yes |
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Fields |
Yes |
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Garcia |
Yes |
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Jones |
Yes |
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Marble |
No |
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Scott |
No |
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Baumgardner |
No |
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Sonnenberg |
No |
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YES: 5 NO: 6 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: FAIL |
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03:30:41 PM
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Motion |
Postpone Senate Bill 18-063 indefinitely using a reversal of the previous roll call. There was no objection to the use of the reverse roll call, therefore, the bill was postponed indefinitely. |
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| Moved |
Baumgardner |
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| Seconded |
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Cooke |
Yes |
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Coram |
Yes |
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Donovan |
No |
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Fenberg |
No |
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Fields |
No |
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Garcia |
No |
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Jones |
No |
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Marble |
Yes |
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Scott |
Yes |
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Baumgardner |
Yes |
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Sonnenberg |
Yes |
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Final |
YES: 6 NO: 5 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS |
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