Posts tagged residents
Boulder County Commissioners extend moratorium on oil & gas development
Jan 24th
Temporary moratorium extended until June 10 to allow for development of Implementation Work Plan
Boulder County, Colo. – Tonight, following a public hearing on recently-adopted regulations for oil and gas development in unincorporated Boulder County, the County Commissioners voted unanimously to extend a temporary moratorium on new oil and gas drilling applications (currently set to end on Feb. 4) until June 10, 2013, and to further assess fees relative to the land use and transportation impacts of local oil and gas operations.
Expressing both a desire to see more work around developing renewable energy options for Boulder County and seeking support from county residents to take their concerns about oil and gas development to state legislators who are currently considering new state rules for drilling operations, the County Commissioners acknowledged that while they don’t think they can go far enough to satisfy all constituent concerns, they are doing everything they can to make sure “we have the most comprehensive and restrictive regulations around oil and gas drilling in the State of Colorado.“
County staff had requested an extension of the Temporary Moratorium on Boulder County’s Processing of Applications for Oil and Gas Development in order to develop a plan to implement the regulations adopted by the Board of County Commissioners in December 2012. Due to the complicated nature of the new restrictions, requirements, standards and conditions that replaced 19-year-old rules for how oil and gas development can occur on unincorporated lands, staff had asked for adequate time to create an Implementation Work Plan.
County staff also presented information from the Oil & Gas Roadway Impact Study to seek direction from the County Commissioners on how to ensure impacts of oil and gas development on the public transportation system are mitigated and the cost of such mitigation is fairly and equitably allocated. Actual fees were not considered for adoption at the hearing, but the Commissioners asked staff to come back in two to three months with a proposal for the maximum legally-defensible fees allowable to mitigate local impacts or an alternate mechanism to recover costs from industry’s impact on the county transportation system.
Staff estimated – and County Commissioners affirmed – that in order to prepare for processing of new drilling and well operation applications, four additional months were necessary. The major components of the Implementation Work Plan will include:
· Development of RFQ/RFP and hiring of consultants / outside expertise
· Staff trainings
· Coordination with involved departments and agencies
· Preparation of application materials, handouts, and public information including website
· Development and adoption of planning and permit fees
· Inspection schedules
· Updating internal databases and tracking systems
· Coordination with Industry on submission of applications
· Coordination with the COGCC to harmonize new State rules with County regulations
For more information about the county’s role in oil and gas development, visit the county’s Oil and Gas Development webpage or contact Jim Webster at 720-564-2600 or jbwebster@bouldercounty.org.
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Demand for Shelter Soars in Boulder
Jan 10th
As of January 8, BOHO has provided safe, warm, legal sleeping to almost 5,500 guests on 57 nights of operation, an average of almost 97 guests per night. As of the same date a year ago, BOHO’s Emergency Warming Centers (EWC) had provided shelter from severe and stormy weather to fewer than 5,000 guests on 67 nights of operation, for an average of 75 guests per night.
Although our Fall weather was mild at times this year, we have had an unbroken sequence of severely cold and even stormy nights for over a month. BOHO’s EWC guests, homeless residents of Boulder, would not have had safe, warm and legal sleeping, as the Boulder Shelter for the Homeless has operated at or near capacity so far this season.
As we look ahead, we expect to provide EWCs virtually every night for another nine or ten weeks of harsh Winter weather. We have honed and polished our practices, and built up our reserves, trained our volunteers, and worked with the many congregations who provide facilities and support. We’ll still need your help as this time goes forward, providing a shelter safety net for the safety net to Boulder’s homeless residents.
Your support and donations have provided safe, warm and legal sleeping to BOHO’s EWC guests. There are more guests being served every night this year; the needs of the poor are increasing. Thank you for helping us to provide the fundamental human need of a safe, warm shelter for sleeping.
From BOHO BUZZ
Boulder County Commissioners reject agreement with Denver Water Board on the proposed Gross Reservoir expansion
Jan 8th
Boulder County, Colo. – Last night, the Board of County Commissioners declined to sign an intergovernmental agreement with the Denver Water Board regarding the proposed expansion of Gross Reservoir.
After hearing to more than six hours of public testimony over a span of two public hearings – Dec. 20 and Jan. 7 – and receiving more than 200 written communications from Boulder County residents, the Board of County Commissioners unanimously decided not to support the IGA.
The intergovernmental agreement was signed by the Denver Water Board on December 19, 2012, and would have served in lieu of review of the reservoir expansion project under the Boulder County Land Use Code. The IGA had been negotiated by the staffs of Boulder County and Denver Water as a way to address the impacts of the project and to define appropriate mitigation measures, but ultimately didn’t go far enough in protecting the quality of life for residents in the area in the opinion of the County Commissioners.
While they acknowledged some benefits that would result from the proposed agreement, the County Commissioners indicated that the terms of the proposed agreement did not do enough to protect the health, safety and welfare of their constituents or the environment and that they thought it was premature to enter into any agreement before the release of the Final Environmental Impact Statement, which is due later in 2013.
Following the release of the final EIS, the commissioners will work with county staff on a thorough response to the findings, and continue to work with members of the public to address ongoing concerns about the impacts of the proposed project.
Visit www.bouldercounty.org/property/build/pages/moffatgrossiga.aspx for more information. To view the archived video from last night’s hearing, visit the hearings page and select the business meeting for Jan. 7 at www.bouldercounty.org/gov/meetings/pages/hearings.aspx.
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