Title 34, Mineral Resources

(1) Pursuant to section 13 of article XII of the state constitution, the executive director of the department of natural resources shall appoint a director of the commission who must possess such qualifications as may be established by the executive director, the commission, and …

(1) (a) The commission has jurisdiction over all persons and property, public and private, necessary to enforce this article 60, the power to make and enforce rules and orders pursuant to this article 60, and to do whatever may reasonably be necessary to carry out this article 60…

(1) The commission also shall require: (a) Identification of ownership of oil and gas wells, producing leases, tanks, plants, and structures; (b) The making and filing with the commission of copies of well logs, directional surveys, and reports on well location, drilling, and pro…

The waste of oil and gas in the state of Colorado is prohibited by this article. Source: L. 51: p. 651, § 1. CSA: C. 118, § 68(1). CRS 53: § 100-6-1. C.R.S. 1963: § 100-6-1. ANNOTATION Law reviews. For article, "Conservation of Oil Resources — Colorado's Position Today", see 22 R…

(1) The commission shall prescribe rules and regulations governing the practice and procedure before it. (2) No rule, regulation, or order, or amendment thereof, shall be made by the commission without a hearing upon at least twenty days' notice, except as provided in this sectio…

If it appears that any person fails to comply with an order issued pursuant to section 34-60-121, the commission, through the attorney general, shall bring suit in the name of the state against such person in the district court in the county of the residence of the defendant, or …

(1) The commission has the power to summon witnesses, to administer oaths, and to require the production of records, books, and documents for examination at any hearing or investigation conducted by it. No person shall be excused from attending and testifying, or from producing b…

(1) Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, any rule, regulation, or final order of the commission is subject to judicial review in accordance with section 24-4-106. The commission is not required to post bond in any proceeding for judicial review. (2) Notwithstandi…

No temporary restraining order or injunction of any kind against the commission or its agents, employees, or representatives, or the attorney general, shall become effective until the plaintiff shall execute a bond in such amount and upon such conditions as the court may direct, …

An action, appellate review as provided by law and the Colorado appellate rules, or other proceeding involving a test of the validity of any provision of this article or of a rule, regulation, or order shall be advanced for trial and be determined as expeditiously as feasible, an…

Nothing in this article, and no suit by or against the commission, and no violation charged or asserted against any person under any provisions of this article, or any rule, regulation, or order issued under this article, shall impair, abridge, or delay any cause of action for da…

(1) An action or other proceeding based upon a violation of this article 60 or any rule or order of the commission shall not be commenced or maintained unless it has been commenced within three years after the date of the discovery of the alleged violation. (2) The three-year per…

(1) (a) To prevent or to assist in preventing waste, to avoid the drilling of unnecessary wells, or to protect correlative rights, the commission, upon its own motion or on a proper application of an interested party, but after notice and hearing as provided in this section, may …

(1) The commission has authority to prevent waste and protect correlative rights of all owners in every field or pool, and when necessary shall limit the production of oil and gas in any field or pool in the exercise of this authority. (2) If the commission limits the total amoun…

(1) An agreement for repressuring or pressure maintenance operations, cycling or recycling operations, including the extraction and separation of liquid hydrocarbons from natural gas in connection therewith, or for carrying on any other methods of unit or cooperative development …

(1) As used in this section, unless the context otherwise requires: (a) "Payee" means any person or persons legally entitled to payment from proceeds derived from the sale of oil, gas, or associated products from a well in Colorado, but shall not include those interests owned by …

This article shall never be construed to require, permit, or authorize the commission or any court to make, enter, or enforce any order, rule, or judgment that prorates production by requiring restriction of production of any pool or of any well, except a well or wells drilled in…

(1) This article shall apply to all lands within the state of Colorado, except as follows: (a) As to lands of the United States or lands which are subject to its supervision, this article shall apply only to the extent necessary to permit the commission to protect the correlative…

(1) (a) Any energy and carbon management operator that violates this article 60, any rule or order of the commission, or any permit is subject to a penalty of not more than fifteen thousand dollars for each act of violation per day that the violation continues. A violation descri…

(1) (a) In addition to the filing and service fee required to be paid under section 34-60-106 (1)(f) and the fees authorized for other services provided by the commission by section 34-60-106 (16), there is imposed on the market value at the well of all oil and natural gas produc…

The governor may execute agreements with other member states for expiration date extensions or other modifications of the terms of the interstate compact to conserve oil and gas. The governor may further take all steps necessary to effect withdrawal of this state from the compact…

(1) The state treasurer shall credit the following money to the fund: (a) The revenues from the surcharge imposed by the commission pursuant to section 34-60-122 (1)(a); (b) Moneys reimbursed to or recovered by the commission in payment for fund expenditures; (c) Any moneys appro…

(1) (a) An operator shall conduct oil and gas operations in a manner that accommodates the surface owner by minimizing intrusion upon and damage to the surface of the land. (b) As used in this section, "minimizing intrusion upon and damage to the surface" means selecting alternat…

(1) This section shall be known and may be cited as the "Colorado Habitat Stewardship Act of 2007". (2) The commission shall administer this article so as to minimize adverse impacts to wildlife resources affected by oil and gas operations. (3) In order to minimize adverse impact…

(1) If one barrel or more of oil or exploration and production waste is spilled outside of berms or other secondary containment, the spill shall be reported within twenty-four hours after the discovery of the spill, to: (a) The commission; and (b) The entity with jurisdiction ove…

Local governments and state agencies, including the commission and agencies listed in section 34-60-105 (1)(b), have regulatory authority over energy and carbon management operations, including as specified in section 34-60-105 (1)(b). A local government's regulations may be more…

(1) As used in this section, unless the context otherwise requires: (a) (I) "Additive" means a chemical or combination of chemicals added to a base fluid for use in a hydraulic fracturing treatment. (II) "Additive" includes proppants. (b) "Base fluid" means the continuous phase f…

(1) Enterprise created. (a) The orphaned wells mitigation enterprise is created in the department for the purpose of: (I) Imposing and collecting mitigation fees; (II) Funding the plugging, reclaiming, and remediating of orphaned wells and marginal wells in the state; (III) Ensur…

(1) Definitions. As used in this section and in section 34-60-135, unless the context otherwise requires: (a) "Consortium" means the Colorado produced water consortium created in section 34-60-135 (2)(a). (b) Repealed. (c) (I) "Produced water" means water, including the water's m…

(1) (a) As used in this section, unless the context otherwise requires: (I) "Beneficial use" has the meaning set forth in section 37-92-103 (4). (II) "Department" means the department of natural resources. (III) "Executive director" means the executive director of the department.…

(1) The general assembly declares that this section is intended to allow for the permanent use of geologic storage resources for geologic storage operations and is not intended to impact the use or ownership of the subsurface for conjunctive use of surface and groundwater resourc…

(1) The general assembly declares that the purpose of this section is the protection of correlative rights, facilitation of Colorado's energy resources, and facilitation of the use of geologic storage resources for geologic storage operations. (2) As used in this section, unless …

To provide a local government with technical assistance regarding the local government's development of land use and siting regulations for geologic storage operations, the local government that has land use jurisdiction may request that the director of the commission appoint a t…

(1) As used in this section, unless the context otherwise requires, "department" means the department of public health and environment. (2) (a) The department shall develop carbon dioxide accounting procedures for geologic storage operations. The commission shall compile relevant…

(1) Legislative declaration. (a) The general assembly finds that: (I) Geologic storage operations are an important tool to help the state meet its greenhouse gas emission reduction goals; (II) Geologic storage operations involve permanently storing injection carbon dioxide underg…