Letter to the Editor: County regulations not helpful

Dear Editor:
It is disconcerting that counties like Arapahoe, Elbert, Douglas and El Paso are trying to pass county-specific regulations for oil and gas. The State of Colorado already regulates, monitors and enforces oil and gas development. The rules implemented in 2009 were regarded by the Denver Business Journal as a “massive” overhaul and have been lauded as the strictest in the nation.
While I understand the desire to be involved and proactive, creating specific rules for each of the 64 counties creates a lot of uncertainty and creates parallel regulations. As COGCC director Neslin stated: “Different regulatory regimes is not in the state’s interest or the public’s interest because of the potential confusion this will create and the potential deterrent effect on the development of our energy resources.” We need consistency and the COGCC provides this.
County officials, of course you need to be involved, but creating county-specific regulations doesn’t help.
Mariah Raney
Grand Junction, Colo.