Colorado Starts Work On New Oil-gas Rules Focusing On Safety

DENVER (AP) — Colorado oil and gas regulators are outlining some of their first planned rule changes under a new law that makes public safety and the environment their top priorities. The Oil and Gas Conservation Commission will meet with industry representatives and others Wednesday to discuss revisions.

The first proposals deal mostly with administrative procedures, not drilling. But they reflect the commission's new marching orders by adding language about health, the environment and wildlife.

The session is billed as a stakeholder meeting to hear public comments, and no decisions are expected. It could take years to fully implement the law.

Under the previous law, the commission's top priority was encouraging production. The new law reflects increasing fears about safety as a booming oil field overlaps with fast-growing communities in northern Colorado.

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