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Oil and Gas Operator Agreements

An Oil and Gas Operator Agreement allows the city of Aurora to establish a number of best management practices to regulate the oil and gas operations within the city.

Visit this link to review a May 20, 2019, presentation on oil and gas operator agreements and best management practices.

The agreement between the city and an oil and gas operator identifies the specific location and number of wells to be governed by the Operator Agreement. The Best Management Practices cover a broad variety areas, including locations of the wells, noise and visual mitigation of the operations, groundwater protection, and air quality protection.

The Operator Agreements under consideration by the city represent significant protections and increased standards over previous city code and operations. The information on this page includes copies of the approved Operator Agreements, maps of the proposed sites, the Best Management Practices included in the Operator Agreements, and copies of presentations by city’s outside consultant from the May 20, 2019, Study Session.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed Senate Bill 181 into law April 16, 2019. The bill prioritizes the protection of public health, safety, welfare and the environment. The oil and gas reform legislation increases oil and gas regulations within Colorado, and changes the makeup of the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (“COGCC”). The new legislation shifts the primary goals of the COGCC from fostering the growth of the oil and gas industry to regulating it and protecting the public health, safety and welfare, including protecting the environment and the wildlife.

S.B. 181 overhauls also changed state law by clarifying the power of local governments to regulate land use and the siting of oil and gas facilities and broadly expanding local authority to protect against potential, adverse impacts of operations, including the authority to conduct regular on-site inspections, monitor emissions and other externalities often associated with well sites, and impose administrative fees and non-compliance penalties. An Oil and Gas Operator Agreement is one mechanism to exercise the authority granted under S.B. 181.


Approved Operator Agreements and Related Materials

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