RBC | The Rio Blanco County Commissioners met in Rangely Tuesday.
Following regular business, the board and emergency and natural resources manager Eddie Smercina reviewed several bills proposed at the state level that, if passed, could negatively impact Rio Blanco County.
Those proposed bills include House Bill 24-1346 which would expand the energy and carbon management commission’s regulatory authority to include regulation of direct air capture facilities and geologic storage operations; House Bill 24-1359 would enact the “Community Right to Know Act” to create additional notification requirements on oil and gas operators in the event of a spill or release of a hazardous chemical; Senate Bill 24-159 would require the energy and carbon management commission to adopt rules to cease issuing new oil gas permits before Jan. 1, 2030; and House Bill 24-1178, which would allow a local government to create and enforce laws regulating the sale or use of pesticides to protect the health and safety of the community with certain exceptions.
The commissioners opposed all of the bills discussed.
The County Road 77 bridge project has been awarded a $1M grant from the Department of Local Affairs and is moving forward.
The board reviewed the hiring process for a county administrator with interim administrator Larry Jones. The commissioners will serve as the search committee and have approved the job description and requirements. The position will be posted in April through multiple sites. Once finalists are selected, the name or names of those individuals will be released to the public before a final decision is made.
In regular business, the commissioners:
• Received two bids for pesticide and herbicide management for the Lower White Pest Control District.
• Renewed an agreement of service for software used for the broadband project.
• Approved an intergovernmental agreement with the conservation districts for aerial cricket spraying.
• Approved purchase of motor grader for the solid waste landfill.
• Approved a letter of support to the Bureau of Land Management for a planned wild horse gather.
• Tabled a discussion about a job description for a Department of Human Services caseworker position.
• Reviewed the budget process and timelines with interim county administrator Larry Jones.
•Approved the surplus property disposal policy.
• Approved ambulance vehicle permits for Rangely District Hospital.
