BREAKING NEWS 

To keep the staff report current and brief we 

are eliminating items that have been thoroughly covered in previous staff reports. If you 

need to revisit a topic, please go to the Staff 

Report link on our website at 

www.colorado.gov/cogcc.

TOP STORIES

 Jim Milne Named Environmental Section Manager 

Jim Milne has been named Environmental Manager, effective November 1. Jim has a total of 

30 years of experience as a geologist in the areas of environmental consulting, water resources management, and oil and gas exploration. For the past 13 years, he has been the 

COGCC’s Research Scientist and GIS expert. In 

this position, Jim conducted studies of the aquifer systems and petroleum reservoirs of Colorado in support of COGCC staff actions and policy/rule making activities. 

 Industry Training 

The Financial Assurance, Information Processing, and Permit supervisors coordinated and 

conducted three well-attended full-day industry training opportunities in October. Each industry training day included three sessions.

Session One covered well completion and production interval reporting required on Forms 5 

and 5A; and the direct relationship of these 

two forms to Forms 2, 2A, 10 and 7. This session included a review of the regulatory basis 

and purpose of the specific forms, the timing 

requirement for submission of the forms, the 

data captured by each form, and an explanation of why specific attachments are required 

for certain reports.

Published in conjunction with COGCC hearings

Department of Natural Resources: John W. Hickenlooper, Governor; Mike King, Executive Director; Matt Lepore, COGCC Director

1120 Lincoln St. Suite 801, Denver, CO 80203 PHONE: (303) 894-2100 FAX: (303) 894-2109 www.colorado.gov/cogcc; email: dnr.ogcc@state.co.us

November 15, 2012

Session Two provided a visual walk-through of 

the Form 10, Certification of Clearance and/or 

Change of Operator. This form will be added to 

the eForm suite of online submission reports. 

This session provided a preview of the Form 10 

within the eForm environment; showing navigation through the form’s tabs, fields and buttons, and introduced some of the changes that 

have been included to streamline reporting. 

The Form 10 form release is expected sometime in November.

Session Three provided an in-depth review of 

reporting requirements on Form 7, Monthly Report of Operations. The information included 

such things as event triggers that come from 

Forms 2, 2A, 5 and 5A submissions that directly 

impact Form 7 filing requirements, review of 

common errors made on reports, how to obtain 

delinquent report listings, and how to resolve 

error and delinquent reporting issues.

Training materials related to each of the sessions will be made available online in the near 

future. The COGCC is actively working towards 

making these and other trainings available 

through webcast presentations on our webpage.

The COGCC will endeavor to provide meaningful and beneficial presentations to meet the 

needs of industry and our community. Suggestions for improvements and additions to training opportunities are welcome. 

 Local Government Liaison (LGL) Program Update

Local Government Liaisons (LGLs) Nancy Prince 

and Marc Morton are continuing to provide 

valuable service, support, and outreach to local 

government designees (LGDs), local government staff, COGCC Staff and programs, various 
2 Oil & Gas Staff Report November 15, 2012

of equipment, and the inspection process. The 

overall assessment of the site was discussed 

and noncompliance issues were noted. Mike 

also demonstrated how data is recorded on the 

Field Inspection Form and how this recently 

expanded form provides a step by step guide 

for conducting detailed site inspections. The 

tour focused on basic inspections and did not 

include discussions of the more complex issues, 

such as investigation into citizen complaints, 

drilling inspections, or the upfront planning 

that is conducted using COGCC database and 

GIS tools. This upfront planning improves the 

overall effectiveness and efficiencies of the 

inspection program. The inspection review by 

Mr. Outcalt is part of a more expansive story 

that 5280 will publish in the next few months.

Seven oil and gas locations representing different scenarios, types of equipment and surface 

occupancy were included in the tour. A single 

well site located in a hay field was inspected, 

with Mike noting that it is fairly simple to inspect these one-well sites. In cultivated fields, 

farming occurs in close proximity to the wellhead, and any interim reclamation, stormwater, and housekeeping issues would be readily 

apparent. The status of each well is checked, 

and producing wells are good indicators of 

overall wellbore integrity. Another single well 

site that was inspected is currently being encroached by commercial development. A location that had been the source of noise complaints several years ago was included in the 

tour, with commission staff demonstrating the 

difficulty in conducting a noise survey at this 

site where the background noise from the 

nearby state highway is at or above the regulatory standards. 

Several multi-well locations were also inspected, including a site that is being encroached by urban development, as noted by a 

recently constructed ballpark, a multi-well pad 

that has both directional and vertical wells, 

and one with one vertical and three horizontal 

wells. The sites, with both vertical and horizontal or both vertical and directional wells 

demonstrated the similarity in surface equipment used for all three well types. A location 

that is shared by two operators was also included on the tour. While the shared site demstate government agencies, non-governmental 

agencies, the public, operators, and others.

Current major initiatives include the development of an LGD training manual to be used in 

conjunction with the 2013 rollout of LGD training across the state. The LGD training will be 

made available not only to LGDs, but to other 

local government staff and interested parties. 

Several sessions are planned around the state. 

It is envisioned that a general meeting, presentation, and Q&A concerning oil and gas activities of local concern will accompany the training. The COGCC welcomes ideas and suggestions for the content of the LGD training. 

Please forward ideas and suggestions to either 

Marc Morton or Nancy Prince. 

LGLs are also participating in ongoing meetings 

with COGCC senior managers, staff from the 

Department of Local Affairs, DNR Executive Directors Office, and other organizations, concerning the implementation of recommended 

protocols outlined in the Governor’s Task Force 

to develop cooperative strategies regarding the 

regulation of oil and gas. This effort includes 

the preparation of a report (in progress) summarizing status of deliverables and outreach 

efforts made by COGCC and task force participants. 

Marc and Nancy have also been responding to a 

wide variety of inquiries and requests for assistance from multiple LGDs and local government 

staff. Assistance and input has been provided 

to over 20 specific counties, municipalities, and 

special district LGDs.

A list of other LGL outreach activities is included in the Public Outreach section on the 

next page.

 Reporter Ride-Alongs with Field Inspectors

On October 4, Chris Outcalt, reporter 

from 5280-The Denver Magazine, accompanied 

Mike Leonard, COGCC Southern Colorado Field 

Inspection Supervisor, to observe a typical day 

in the life of a field inspector. After a safety 

briefing, Mike and Chris conducted multiple 

site inspections. At each location, Mike explained the set up, the purpose of each piece 
Oil & Gas Staff Report November 15, 2012 3

velopment Through Natural Resources Projects.”

 On October 22, Matt Lepore was a guest lecturer at the CU Denver Global Energy Management, Master of Science program.

 On October 29 & 30, Karen Spray, Denise 

Onyskiw, Underground Injection Control Supervisor, and Stuart Ellsworth, spoke at the 

Tight Oil Water Management Conference held 

in Denver to explain Colorado’s regulations 

on waste water management, underground 

injection control, and well bore construction 

for aquifer protection. In attendance were 

oil and gas operators, service companies and 

several environmental groups.

 Outreach by COGCC Local Government Liaisons (LGLs)

COGCC Staff provided a training session for 

LGDs on September 19. Diana Burn, Eastern CO 

Engineering Supervisor, presented technical 

information on drilling and completing oil and 

gas wells, Jane Stanczyk, Permit Supervisor, 

presented an overview of the permitting and 

review process and a website tutorial, and Greg 

Deranleau, Oil & Gas Location Assessment Supervisor, presented an overview of utilizing 

eForms to interact with permits in process. Approximately 25 representatives of local governments from the Front Range and eastern plains 

communities attended. 

Other LGL meetings and outreach efforts included:

 Attendance at the September 10 and October 

22, City of Colorado Springs City Council 

meetings.

 Participation in a September 19, public 

meeting with Adams County staff and stakeholders regarding their Comprehensive Long 

Range Plan.

 Attendance at a September 20, meeting with 

Arapahoe County concerning their development of a small operator Memorandum 

of Understanding (MOU).

 On September 24, Rick Allison, Oil and Gas 

Location Assessment Specialist, and Nancy 

onstrates how operators reduce surface impacts, the dual ownership can complicate the 

inspection process.

Another tour was conducted on October 11, by 

Jim Precup, COGCC Northeast Field Inspection 

Supervisor, with Bobby McGill of the Fort 

Collins Coloradoan. A similar list of sites that 

demonstrated a variety of well types and well 

locations were visited. Jim explained the inspection process, what inspectors look for, and 

how the site inspection is documented. Mr. 

McGill’s article was published in the Fort 

Collins Coloradoan on October 19, 2012.

Public Outreach

 Outreach by Director and other Staff Members 

 Karen Spray, SW Environmental Protection 

Specialist, and Mark Weems, SW Regional Engineer, participated in the Northern San Juan 

Basin Stakeholders meeting on September 26, 

in Bayfield, Colorado. Other participants included the U.S. Forest Service, La Plata 

County, San Juan Citizens Alliance, the La 

Plata Energy Council and local citizens.

 On October 3, Stuart Ellsworth, Engineering 

Manager, participated in the “Fracking” Panel 

Discussion at the Colorado Stormwater Council (CSC) 2nd Annual Conference in Parker, 

Colorado. He presented an overview of 

COGCC’s regulation to manage the stimulation process of hydraulic fracturing. In attendance were the stormwater management 

regulators from many cities and countries 

throughout Colorado. 

 On October 4, Stuart Ellsworth presented at 

the American Planning Association Conference - CO Chapter in Snowmass, Colorado. He presented an overview of COGCC’s 

regulation to manage the stimulation process 

of hydraulic fracturing. In attendance were 

Planners from many cities and countries 

throughout Colorado.

 On October 14, Matt Lepore, Director, was a 

guest lecturer at the University of Denver, 

Sturm College of Law. His topic was 

“Community Expectations for Sustainable De-
4 Oil & Gas Staff Report November 15, 2012

Prince attended a neighborhood meeting with 

Operator Great Western, Town of Windsor 

staff, and the general public, concerning 

planned drilling in the Windsor area. A follow 

up meeting was held on October 22, attended 

by Rick Allison, Marc Morton, and the Town of 

Windsor staff. COGCC Staff consulted with 

Town of Windsor staff regarding anticipated 

drilling activity within and adjacent to the 

town limits, LGD comment submittal procedures, blending/timing of the town's Conditional Use Grant (CUG) permitting process 

with COGCC permitting, and various other 

issues of local concern. COGCC Staff also updated the Town staff regarding the current 

status of COGCC rule making concerning setbacks and baseline groundwater sampling.

 Participated with Greg Deranleau in a September 24, meeting with staff from Anadarko 

to address the Town of Hudson’s concerns for 

safety and traffic associated with well installation plans near town. Meetings have resulted in inclusion on well permits of a series 

of BMPs addressing anticipated traffic and 

safety impacts.

 Attended (via teleconference call) the October 15, Montezuma County Board of County 

Commissioners hearing concerning a resident 

complaint/concern. 

 Participated in an October 16, West Divide 

Creek (Garfield County) site remediation 

status meeting, with various COGCC Staff, 

Encana Staff, and Staff from Encana’s environmental consultant. 

 Attended the October 17, Boulder County 

Planning Commission meeting and public 

hearing concerning the county’s proposed 

changes to their land use regulations and 

other approaches to regulate and gas activity.

 Attended an October 23, meeting of a consortium of water providers in Douglas County. 

COGA representatives provided an engineering review of oil and gas well construction. 

Stuart Ellsworth and Nancy Prince answered 

questions about the LGD program and about 

the proposed rule making. 

 Met on October 23, with Fort Collins Conservation District/Big Thompson Conservation 

District (non-LGD) staff concerning their desire to provide natural resource conservation 

services in conjunction with oil and gas operations.

 Met on October 23, with the Platte River 

Power Authority (Special District LGD) staff 

attorneys concerning their operations and 

interest in regional oil and gas operations.

 Attended the October 23, City of Loveland 

City Council and Planning Commission joint 

meeting and public hearing concerning regulation of oil and gas development within the 

city.

 Participation with Mike Leonard, South Area 

Inspection Supervisor, of an October 29, field 

review of an active hydraulic fracturing project (Aus-Tex is operator) in Fremont County.

 On October 30, Nancy Prince and Greg 

Deranleau attended a meeting of the Arapahoe County Board of Commissioners to discuss 

the use of pits and closed loop systems. 

 On October 31, Nancy Prince and Bob Frick, 

Hearings Manager, met with the LGD from the 

town of Limon to discuss potential regulations 

within the town of Limon.

 On October 31, Nancy Prince and Bob Frick 

met with the Lincoln County LGD to discuss 

the Lincoln County oil and gas activity review 

process and ways to assist the county with 

some specific issues that have been identified.

REGIONAL ACTIVITIES

 NORTHWEST COLORADO

 Northwest Colorado Oil and Gas Forum

The Forum is an informal gathering of local, 

state, and federal government officials, oil and 

gas industry representatives, and citizens that 

have met regularly since 1989. The purpose of 

the Forum is to share information about oil and 

gas development in northwest Colorado and to 

make government officials and oil and gas industry representatives easily accessible to the public. Currently the meetings are conducted once 

per quarter and are co-chaired by the COGCC’s 

Director, Matt Lepore, and Garfield County Commissioner, Mike Samson.
Oil & Gas Staff Report November 15, 2012 5

The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, 

December 6, 2012, at 10:00 am at the Colorado 

Mountain College, West Garfield Campus, 3695 

Airport Road, Rifle, CO 81650. All parties wishing to be placed on the meeting agenda should 

contact Chris Canfield at 970-625-2497 or via 

email at: chris.canfield@state.co.us.

 Ongoing Meetings with BLM

On October 17, Shaun Kellerby, COGCC Northwest Field Inspection Supervisor, and his staff 

met with Bureau of Land Management (BLM) 

field inspection staff at the BLM Colorado River 

Valley (CRV) Field Office. BLM staff included 

Julie King, Lead Petroleum Engineering Tech, 

Shauna Kocman, Environmental Engineer, and 

Peter Cowan, Petroleum Engineer. A variety of 

topics were discussed, including communication, problem solving and cross training. During 

the meeting it was clarified that a BLM contact 

should be included on all site inspection reports for federal wells, the COGCC will 

continue to contact the area BLM office before 

any enforcement actions are taken, and will 

discuss corrective action requirements with operators. In the CRV area the BLM contact will 

be Julie King. Some specific situations were 

discussed with each agency providing a discussion of their approach to problem. Opportunities for cross training were also discussed.

 Project Rulison

Please note that the email for Project rulison 

submittals has been changed to:

DNR_rulison.submittal@state.co.us

 Project Rio Blanco

Please note that the email for Project rio 

blanco submittals has been changed to:

DNR_rioblanco.submittal@state.co.us

 SOUTHWEST COLORADO

 Gas and Oil Regulatory Team (GORT) Meeting

The next GORT/Southwest Colorado Oil and Gas 

Stakeholders meeting is scheduled for January 

10, 2013, at 8:30 am at the La Plata County 

Fairgrounds in Durango, Colorado. 

All parties wishing to be placed on the next 

meeting agenda should contact Karen Spray at: 

970-259-1619 or karen.spray@state.co.us.

 Fruitland Formation Outcrop Mitigation and 

Monitoring Projects (4M Projects)

Fruitland Formation Outcrop - 4M Pilot Scale 

Mitigation Projects La Plata County. The South 

Fork Texas Creek (SFTC) Mitigation system continued operation at approximately 11 kilowatts 

(kW) power generation and operated 100% of 

the two month period, July 1, 2012, through 

September 1, 2012. Approximately 6.0 kW of 

power is returned to the grid at this operating 

rate. The Pine River Ranches (PRR) system was 

converted to a passive collection system in late 

July 2012. Methane concentrations continue to 

average 99% at SFTC and less than 1% at PRR. 

Operations & Maintenance activities are continuing.

4M Monitoring Wells La Plata and Archuleta 

Counties. There are 17 wells at 11 locations in 

the COGCC 4M monitoring program. Well pressures are monitored remotely via satellite telemetry with one or two maintenance visits per 

year, depending upon data received. An alternate access is still being sought for the Beaver 

Creek Ranch locations. Repairs to the Fiddler 

wellhead were initiated in October and the Fall 

operations & maintenance visits were done on 

October 31 and November 1. New transducers 

and cable will be installed in the Fiddler well 

during the visit and all other locations will be 

assessed for damage and repaired as needed.

 Ongoing Investigation, Reclamation, and Mitigation of Residual Methane in the Vicinity of the 

Bryce 1-X Well Area, Bondad, Colorado

All four water wells were sampled on October 

10. Analytical results are pending.

 SOUTHEAST COLORADO

 U.S. EPA Raton Basin Hydraulic Fracturing Study 

– Las Animas and Huerfano Counties

As part of the retrospective study of possible 

impacts from well completions, a third round of 

sampling and analysis of groundwater from two 
6 Oil & Gas Staff Report November 15, 2012

areas in the Raton Basin were done during the 

week of November 5. COGCC Staff, as well as 

contractors for Pioneer Natural Resources, will 

collect split samples at many of the sites. The 

EPA plans to release an interim progress report 

on the study in December, 2012. Data from the 

first two rounds of sampling and analysis is expected to be made available to the public at 

the time the progress report is released. 

VARIANCES

1. Encana Oil & Gas (USA), Inc. (Encana) submitted a Sundry Notice requesting a variance to 

the isolation requirements for a Mechanical Integrity Test (MIT) as specified in Rule 326.b.

(1).A for their Standard Shale #6401 well (API 

No. 05-045-06913), located in the NW1⁄4 of the 

NW1⁄4 of Section 9, Township 7 South, Range 99 

West, 6th P.M. Rule 326.b.(1).A requires that a 

bridge plug or similar approved isolating device 

for an MIT be placed within 100 feet of the top 

open perforation. 

The current wellbore configuration of the Standard Shale #6401 well does not allow for a retrievable bridge plug (RBP) to be set within 100 

feet of the top open perforation. The well is 

currently completed in the Mancos Formation 

from 8,351 feet to 8,510 feet. However, other 

shallower intervals have previously been perforated and subsequently isolated, as follows: 

Niobrara Formation (Diagnostic Fracture Injection Tests [DFIT’s] only, no production) from 

7,999 feet to 8,004 feet and 7,609 feet to 

7,614 feet, isolated with casing patches after 

the tests; Corcoran Member of the Iles Formation from 4,064 feet to 4,068 feet, isolated by 

squeezing cement into the perforations; and, 

Cozzette Member of the Iles Formation from 

3,898 feet to 3,900 feet, isolated by squeezing 

cement into the perforations. The internal diameter of the casing patches set across the 

Niobrara Formation perforations is too small to 

allow passage of the RBP below a depth of approximately 7,600 feet.

COGCC Staff approved this variance request 

because the production casing is adequately 

cemented to provide isolation between the top 

open Mancos Formation perforation at 8,351 

feet and the proposed RBP setting depth of 

7,600 feet. The original production casing top 

of cement was reported as 4,865 feet. The Corcoran and Cozzette cement squeezes described 

above and additional remedial cement 

squeezes provide further isolation at 4,700 

feet, from 4,566 feet to 4,090 feet, and from 

4,079 feet to 3,184 feet. The proposed RBP setting depth of 7,600 feet will effectively test 

the integrity of these cement squeezes and the 

remainder of the production casing from the 

current top of cement to surface.

Encana contends that they complied with the 

basic intent of Rule 326.b.(1).A, and groundwater has been protected, because the MIT will 

be performed from approximately 7,600 feet to 

the surface, which includes all un-cemented 

intervals of the production casing. Adequate 

cement coverage is present to isolate the production casing for several thousand feet above 

the proposed RBP setting depth. On October 2, 

COGCC Staff approved Encana’s Rule 326.b.

(1).A variance request for this well.

2. Fram Operating, LLC (Fram) submitted a Sundry 

Notice requesting a variance to the isolation 

requirements for a Mechanical Integrity Test 

(MIT) as specified in Rule 326.b.(1).A in their 

Eberly 23-4 well (API No. 077-08886) located in 

SE1⁄4 of the NE1⁄4 of Section 23, Township 2 

South, Range 2 East of the Ute P.M. Rule 326.b.

(1). A requires that a bridge plug or similar approved isolating device for an MIT be placed 

within 100 feet of the top open perforation. 

On August 30, Fram entered the Eberly 23-4 

well with a 4-1/2 inch diameter bridge plug 

with the intent of placing it at a depth of 1850 

feet, near the bottom of the cased interval at 

1898 feet (i.e., within 48 feet of the casing 

bottom). The well is an open-hole Dakota Formation completion from 1898 feet to 2040 feet 

below the production casing. At 1580 feet the 

bridge plug became stuck in a tight spot within 

the casing. With some effort the bridge plug 

was pulled free and Fram was given verbal permission by COGCC Staff to place the bridge 

plug at 1576 feet (within 322 feet of the casing 

bottom) and to run the MIT. The well successfully passed the MIT starting at 500 pounds per 

square inch (psi) and finishing at 482 psi, a loss 

of 18 psi, which is within the 10% gain or loss 

allowed by COGCC. 
Oil & Gas Staff Report November 15, 2012 7

According to Fram the well is completed with 

11.6 pound per foot (ppf), 4-1/2 inch diameter 

production casing, set at a depth of 1898 feet 

and cemented with 105 sacks. The calculated 

Top of Cement is at 910 feet. Seven inch diameter, 23 ppf surface casing was set at 350 

feet and cemented with 130 sacks. Surface casing cement volume was sufficient for circulation to the surface with excess.

Fram contends that they complied with the basic intent of Rule 326.b.(1).A, and groundwater 

has been protected because the MIT was performed from 1576 feet to the surface. Adequate cement coverage is also present for the 

production casing above the bridge plug and 

below the bridge plug to isolate the Dakota 

completion, and Mancos Shale is present from 

the Dakota Formation top to ground surface. In 

the future if another MIT is required Fram intends to use slim-run tools in order to move the 

bridge plug within the 100 feet of the bottom 

of the production casing. At this time Fram 

intends to evaluate the well for production or 

abandonment before a second MIT is required. 

On October 9, COGCC Staff approved Fram’s 

Rule 326.b.(1).A variance request for this well.

3. On October 15, a 502.b.(1) Variance Request by 

Mineral Resources, Inc. (“Mineral”) to the requirements of Rule 303.d.(5) Form 2A informational report, was approved by the Director, for 

the C Street Directional Project #1, located in 

the SW SE of Section 36, Township 6 North, 

Range 66 West, 6th P.M., Weld County. Rule 

303.d.(5) states Form 2A shall be submitted 

concurrently with the Application for Permit-to

-Drill, Form 2. The project is a multiple well 

project consisting of up to 32 wells, to be 

drilled in phases, and requires a separate land 

use approval process from Weld County. Due to 

the complexity of the project, Mineral requested approval of the Form 2A prior to submitting Form 2. 

ORGANIZATION

Steve Jenkins joined the Engineering Section 

November 1, as an Engineering Technician. 

Steve has been working at the COGCC for the 

last two years as a part-time contract employee. Steve is a registered Professional Engineer and comes with many years of civil design, 

construction planning and supervision experience. His role at the COGCC will be analyzing 

and approving a variety of reports and assisting 

with engineering design analysis.

An organizational chart can be found on pages 

11-13. For contact information, please go to 

our website and click on “Contacts” on our 

homepage, and then “Staff Contact Information.” 

PLANNING/ADMINISTRATION/OTHER 

 Budget Update

To improve the COGCC’s public service, particularly in the areas of field inspections, environmental assessments, and technical reviews 

of drilling and completion designs, the Governor’s Fiscal Year 2013-14 budget, submitted to 

the Joint Budget Committee on November 1, 

2012, includes a request to increase the appropriation from the Oil and Gas Conservation and 

Environmental Response Fund by $571,702 to 

fund the following five full-time employees, 

four state vehicles, and contract environmental 

support:

 2 Front Range Field Inspectors (+ 2 vehicles)

 1 West Slope Field Inspector (+ 1 vehicle)

 1 Field-Based Environmental Protection 

Specialist for NE Colorado (+ 1 vehicle)

 1 Professional Engineer 

 Contract environmental technician

 Annual Report of Environmental Expenditures

On pages 15-19, is the COGCC's annual report of 

expenditures out of the Special Environmental 

Protection and Mitigation Studies line item. 

This report, submitted to the Joint Budget 

Committee on November 1, briefly describes 

environmental studies and projects conducted 

by COGCC staff during the fiscal year July 1, 

2011 through June 30, 2012. Other smaller, less 

expensive projects were funded by 

the Environmental Assistance and Complaint 

Resolution line item. 
8 Oil & Gas Staff Report November 15, 2012

 Plugging and Reclaiming Abandoned Wells 

(PRAW) - Project Updates

Progress since the last staff report in the Plugging Reclaiming Abandoned Wells (PRAW) program includes plugging the Bone #1 which is 

located in Archuleta County with plans to also 

finish reclaiming the well site in early November. The Bone #1 was identified as being the 

source for Fruitland coal gas contamination of a 

shallow water aquifer. Continued monitoring of 

the contaminated water well will provide evidence of progress with the plugging. Receiving 

final invoices for this work is pending. 

The KEG #1 located in La Plata County was previously plugged and has now been scheduled in 

early November to complete the reclamation of 

the well site. 

The disposal of cement and other solids on the 

Pasture #1 well pad, located in Mesa County, 

has been completed.

Because the landowner on the Culver wells in 

the Tatonka project had reserved his property 

for deer hunting, he wanted no well work conducted this fall; so, this portion of the project 

has been put on hold until after deer season 

and will be resumed when ground and weather 

conditions are conducive to heavy equipment 

work. The Tatonka project is located in Moffat 

County. The plugging work planned for the Gerber 07-24-07-92, also part of the Tatonka project, has been moved forward with to the point 

of submittal of bid documents to DNR contracting personnel and is pending an onsite meeting 

with contractors for bidding purposes. The 

landowner at the Gerber well site requested 

that a fence be put up around the site and that 

has been completed. 

Finally, a gas sample was taken from the Mulvihill 15-32D well located in Garfield County and 

a gas analysis provided which confirmed that 

thermogenic gas is present. 

On page 14 is a spreadsheet listing PRAW projects that are either scheduled or completed 

for FY 12-13. 

 January 2013 Hearing Docket

A docket for the January 2013 hearing will be 

available shortly after the November hearing. 

Hearing dockets are available on our website 

by clicking on “Hearings.” Links to the notices 

and hearing applications are available from the 

Docket Number and Applicant, respectively. To 

sign up for e-mail notification of hearing notices and applications, please see the announcement and instructions on the homepage 

of the COGCC website at: colorado.gov/cogcc.

Colorado Oil and Gas Information System 

(COGIS) Projects, Updates and Changes 

Environmental Database

During the past 18 months, the COGCC and the 

Ground Water Protection Council (GWPC) have 

been working together to develop a new Environmental Database that will store the results 

from the Colorado Oil and Gas Association Voluntary Baseline Groundwater Quality Sampling 

program, along with other environmental data 

collected by the agency. The project included 

the development of a new relational database 

model that will allow the data to be accessible 

to the public from the COGCC website. 

Other deliverables include an Electronic Data 

Deliverable that allows the industry to submit 

the results of the sampling directly to the 

COGCC, which can then process the information directly into the database. The application 

has many other features to help staff analyze 

the information and understand the lab results 

from the sampling. The public interface will 

allow for a display of the lab results along with 

the ability to download the results. Without 

help and funding provided by the Department 

of Energy through the GWPC, this project 

would have not been possible. The application 

and data model are now being looked at by a 

number of other state oil and gas regulatory 

commissions for their use to track environmental data. Training was conducted the week 

of October 8, through meetings at the Colorado 

Oil and Gas Association to further help the Industry understand how to submit information 

to the new system.
Oil & Gas Staff Report November 15, 2012 9

Electronic Form Submissions (eForm)

TOTAL ELECTRONIC FORM SUBMITTALS

AUGUST 2011—SEPTEMBER 2012

Forms currently available through eForm:

Form 2 – Application for Permit to Drill

Form 2A – Oil and Gas Location Assessment

Form 5 – Drilling Completion Report

Form 5A – Completed Interval Report

Form 6 – Well Abandonment Report

Form 15 – Earthen Pit Report/Permit 

Form 17 – Bradenhead Test Report

Form 41 - Trade Secret Claim of Entitlement

Form 42 - Notice of Notification (Notice of Hydraulic Fracturing)

Following is a breakdown by form for the 

month of September:

Form 15, Pit Permit and Report, are available 

in eForm and operators are encouraged to utilize the system to file this form. The form contains new fields added from the older version. 

The PDF version on the Forms page, http://

cogcc.state.co.us/Forms/forms.html, is revised 

to reflect the changes that occurred from the 

release of the form in eForm.

Form 41, Trade Secret Claim of Entitlement, 

and Form 42, Notice of Notification (Notice of 

Hydraulic Fracturing), are available in eForm. 

Both forms came about from the Hydraulic 

Fracturing Disclosure Rulemaking that occurred 

last December.

As forms are released on eForm, updates to the 

PDF forms on our website will occur in tandem. 

These new versions of the PDF forms will reflect any changes that have taken place when 

forms are moved into eForm. 

Along with the eForm system, a page is available where the operators can review all known 

bugs within the system and report any new 

ones they discover. Currently there are 305 operators using eForm. 

The public can make comments on all submitted Oil and Gas Location Assessment (OGLA) 

forms (Forms 2A) through the eForm system. 

This is accomplished by going to the COGCC 

website (http://www.colorado.gov/cogcc) and 

clicking on the menu option, “Permits”, (or 

http://cogcc.state.co.us/COGIS/

DrillingPermits.asp). 

On the COGIS-Permits page, two search options 

are available for OGLA forms, “All Pending Location Assessments for” and “All Approved Location Assessments for.” When the results are 

displayed for forms in process, the public can 

click on the document number, which logs the 

user onto the new eForm application. Once 

the page is displayed with the selected document, the user can select the Comment button 

to make a comment on that particular form. 

The public can use this same method to make 

comments on APDs (Form 2s).

For any operator not currently enrolled in 

eForm, instructions for starting the process can 

be found at http://cogcc.state.co.us/

Announcements/COUAInformation.pdf.

COGCC GIS Online

The latest version of the COGCC GIS Online is 

now available on the commission’s website. 

This new version of the GIS site utilizes a different technology than the old site. The new 
10 Oil & Gas Staff Report November 15, 2012

technology eliminates the need for the user to 

download and install a plugin, which limited 

the browser that it could be used in to Internet 

Explorer. The new version will work with almost any browser. 
Oil & Gas Staff Report November 15, 2012 11

Director

M. Lepore COMMISSION

IT Manager

M. Fine

Executive Asst.

J. Missey

Environmental

Manager 

J. Milne

COLORADO OIL & GAS CONSERVATION COMMISSION 

Field 

Inspection

Manager

M.Ash

Engineering 

Manager 

S. Ellsworth

Hearings 

Manager

R. Frick

Permit/

Technical

Services

Manager

T. Kerr

Financial

Manager 

W. Schultz

Application

Developer

Application

Developer

Network

Administrator

Sr. Research

Scientist

Info

Processing

Supervisor

Permit

Supervisor

Financial

Assurance

Enforcement

Officer

Hearings 

Officer

Local

Government

Liaisons

Accountant

Accts. Pay/ReceivableTechnician

Engineer

Supervisor

UIC 

Supervisor

Engineer

Supervisor

Western

Enviro

Supervisor

Eastern

Enviro

Supervisor

Location

Supervisor

NE Inspector

Supervisor

S Inspector

Supervisor

NW Inspector

Supervisor

See the next two pages for details

Page 1 of 3

November 12, 2012

Office of

Information 

Technology

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Hearings

Assistant
12 Oil & Gas Staff Report November 15, 2012

Director

M. Lepore COMMISSION

Information 

Technology 

Manager

M. Fine

Hearings

Manager

R. Frick

Financial

Manager

W. Schultz

Info. Processing

Supervisor

T. Ikenouye

Network Admin.

D. Hutchinson

Accountant

R. Ou

Prod/Levy

Analyst

D. Geimausaddle

Prod/Levy

Analyst

E. Rivera

Sr. Research 

Scientist

Vacant

Records Admin.

M. Greenstein

Permit/

Completion

Tech

S. Freese

Records Admin.

C. Sundseth

Permit/

Completion 

Tech

S. Freeman

Prod/Levy

Analyst

C. Essex

Imaging Sys. 

Admin.

D. Willis

Fin. Assurance 

Supervisor

S. Schoepflin

Executive Asst.

J. Missey

Permit/

Completion

Tech

B. Yokley

Hearings 

Officer

Enforcement

R. Allbrandt

Officer

P. Gowen

Hearings

Assistant

M. Humecki

Accounts

Payable/

Receivable

A. Gipson

Permit/

Completion 

Tech

L. Coler

Application 

Developer

K. Robertson

Permit/

Completion

Tech

B. Westerdale

Permit/

Completion 

Tech

P. Garrison

COLORADO OIL & GAS CONSERVATION COMMISSION ORGANIZATION

Permit/

Technical 

Services

Manager

T. Kerr

Permit Supervisor

J. Stanczyk

GIS Analyst

D. Ahlstrand

Bond Admin.

M. Ramos

Office of

Information 

Technology

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Application

Developer

Y. Lin

EPS = Environmental Protection SpecialistGIS = Geographic Information SystemPhys/Sci Tech = Physical Science TechnicianPSRS= Physical Science Research ScientistProd = Production

Page 2 of 3

November 12, 2012

Permit/

Completion 

Tech

D. Sharp

Permit/

Completion

Tech

T. Sachen

Local Gov’t

Liaison

M. Morton

Local Gov’t

Liaison

Hearings

N. Prince

Officer

J. Dorancy
Oil & Gas Staff Report November 15, 2012 13

Director

M. Lepore COMMISSION

Engineering 

Manager 

S. Ellsworth

Eastern CO

Eng. Supr.

D. Burn

UIC Supr.

D. Onyskiw

South Area 

Engr.

D. Sutphin

Western CO

Enviro. Supr.

A. Fischer

Western CO

Engr. Supr.

D. Andrews

Eastern CO

Enviro. Supr.

S. Lindblom

NE EPS

B. Chesson 

Executive Asst.

J. Missey

NW EPS

C. Canfield

Environmental

Manager 

J. Milne

SW EPS

K. Spray

NW EPS

Vacant

NE EPS

J. Axelson

SE EPS

P. Gintautas

COLORADO OIL & GAS CONSERVATION COMMISSION ORGANIZATION

Field Inspection

Manager

M.Ash

NE Inspection

Supervisor

J. Precup

S Inspection

SupervisorM. Leonard

NW Field Inspector

C. Browning

NE Field 

Inspector

J. Montoya

SW Field 

Inspector

S. Labowskie

NW Inspection

Supervisor

S. Kellerby

NE Field 

Inspector

Vacant

NW Field Inspector

M. Longworth

NW Field Inspector

K. Neidel

SE Field 

Inspector

J. Duran

Western CO

Enviro.

Inspector

S.Baramound

Field 

Inspector

C. Quint

NE Field 

InspectorM. Hickey

Eastern CO

Enviro.

Inspector

G. Helgeland

NE Area Engr.

R. Hollinshead

Engr Tech

B. Koehler

SW Area 

Engineer

M. Weems

NW Area 

Engineer

K. King

NW Area

Engineer

J. Krabacher

O&G Location

Assessment

Supr.

G. Deranleau

NW Location

Specialist

D. Kubeczko

NE Location

Specialist

R. Young

S Location

Specialist

Vacant

EIT = Engineer in TrainingEPS = Environmental Protection SpecialistOGLA = Oil & Gas Location AssessmentPhys Sci Tech = Physical Science TechnicianUIC = Underground Injection Control

NE Location

Specialist

R. Allison

Page 3 of 3

November 12, 2012

NE Field 

Inspector

K. Schure

Engr Tech

S. Jenkins

Enviro Data

Analyst

A. Koepsell

NW Field Inspector

Vacant
14 Oil & Gas Staff Report November 15, 2012

PLANNED

COUNTY TYPE PROJECT NAME Acct Code BOND PRAW EMGY TOTALS BOND PRAW EMGY TOTALS DESCRIPTION

GARFIELD REC BISCUIT RANCH RECLAMATION DESIGN DOLP $0 $25,000 $0 $25,000 Reclamation design for two well pads and one staging area.GARFIELD REC BISCUIT RANCH RECLAMATION DOLP $25,000 $110,000 $0 $135,000 Reclaim two well pads and one staging area.GARFIELD PLUG BISCUIT RANCH 10-31D PLUGGING AND 

ABANDONMENT DOLP $0 $90,000 $0 $90,000 Drill out, plug and abandon well, and dispose of fluids and cement.

LOGAN REC MITTELSTADT #1 AND LECKLER #1 RECLAMATION $60,000 $0 $0 $60,000 Salt remediation, recounter eroded soil, remove pipe risers.

MESA REC/ENV

HOMESTEAD #1 AND PASTURE #1 SALT 

REMEDIATION, RECLAMATION, AND SOIL GAS 

SURVEYS

$0 $30,000 $0 $30,000 Salt remediation, topsoil spreading, seeding, and soil gas surveys 

near plugged and abandonment wells.

WASHINGTON PLUG ADKINS #1 PLUGGING & ABANDONMENT $30,000 $20,000 $0 $50,000 Plug and abandon well.WASHINGTON REC ADKINS #1 RECLAMATION $0 $5,000 $0 $5,000 Reclaim well pad in irrigated hay field.

TOTALS => $115,000 $280,000 $0 $395,000

IN PROGRESS

COUNTY TYPE PROJECT NAME BOND PRAW EMGY TOTALS BOND PRAW EMGY TOTALS DESCRIPTION

ARCHULETA PLUG BONE #1 PLUGGING AND ABANDONMENT BONE $0 $110,000 $0 $110,000 $0 $0 $0 $0 Plugged and abandoned well waiting on final contractor invoice.ARCHULETA REC BONE #1 RECLAMATION BONE $0 $8,875 $0 $8,875 $0 $0 $0 $0 Reclaim well pad in irrigated hay field. Work scheduled.

LA PLATA REC KEG #1 RECLAMATION KILO $0 $11,000 $0 $11,000 $0 $0 $0 $0 Reclaim pit in pasture. Work scheduled

MESA PLUG PASTURE #1 WELL PLUGGING, ABANDONMENT, AND 

DISPOSAL PAST $0 $49,000 $0 $49,000 $0 $15,814 $0 $15,814 Drill out, plug and abandon well, and dispose of fluids. Disposal of 

cement, and solids is complete. 

MOFFAT PLUG

TATONKA: CULVERWELL 10-23-07-94 AND ELDON 

GERBER 07-24-07-92 PLUGGING AND 

ABANDONMENT

TATO $30,000 $31,800 $0 $61,800 $0 $0 $0 $0

Plug and abandon two conductor pipes and one well and reclaim the pad including a drilling pit. Bid documents submitted to purchasing.

TOTALS => $30,000 $210,675 $0 $240,675 $0 $15,814 $0 $15,814

COMPLETED

COUNTY TYPE PROJECT NAME BOND PRAW EMGY TOTALS BOND PRAW EMGY TOTALS DESCRIPTION

MOFFAT REC ELDON GERBER 07-24-07-92 TATO $0 $5,500 $0 $5,500 $0 $4,960 $0 $4,960 Fencing & weed kill as preliminary to PA & final REC

GARFIELD ENV MULVIHILL 15-32D DOLP $0 $810 $0 $810 $0 $810 $0 $810 Collected Bradenhead gas sample & analysis

FREMONT PLUG FREMONT CO ORPHANS 2012 FMT! $0 $53,410 $0 $53,410 $0 $60,630 $0 $60,630 Six wells plugged; two emergency C/O's

TOTALS => $0 $59,720 $0 $59,720 $0 $66,400 $0 $66,400

BOND PRAW EMGY TOTALS BOND PRAW EMGY TOTALS

GRAND TOTALS => $145,000 $550,395 $0 $695,395 $0 $82,214 $0 $82,214

Project Types: "PLUG" indicates plugging and abandonment, "REC" indicates reclamation, and "ENV" indicates environmentalEMGY: indicates funding by the Emergency Response line itemTBD: Cost estimates in process.PRAW: indicates funding by the Plugging and Reclaiming Abandoned Wells line itemUpdated October 29, 2012

PLUGGING, AND RECLAIMING ABANDONED WELLS PROJECTS FOR ORPHANED LOCATIONS

ESTIMATED TOTAL PROJECT COSTS FY 2012-2013 YTD EXPENDITURES

FISCAL YEAR 2012-2013

ESTIMATED TOTAL PROJECT COST FY 2012-2013 YTD EXPENDITURESESTIMATED TOTAL PROJECT COST FY 2012-2013 YTD EXPENDITURESESTIMATED TOTAL PROJECT COST FY 2012-2013 YTD EXPENDITURES
Oil & Gas Staff Report November 15, 2012 15
16 Oil & Gas Staff Report November 15, 2012
Oil & Gas Staff Report November 15, 2012 17
18 Oil & Gas Staff Report November 15, 2012
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20 Oil & Gas Staff Report November 15, 2012

Colorado Oil & Gas Conservation Commission

Monthly Permit Activity

Backlog Received Approved Withdrawn Rejected Incomplete In-Process Remaining

Form2A

Oct-11 209 171 172 12 0 50 146 196

Nov-11 196 166 174 9 0 69 110 179

Dec-11 179 164 183 5 0 44 111 155

Jan-12 155 142 129 1 0 50 117 167

Feb-12 167 160 129 3 0 44 150 195

Mar-12 195 133 172 5 0 32 119 151

Apr-12 151 137 106 1 0 48 133 181

May-12 181 105 131 6 0 51 98 149

Jun-12 149 110 89 2 0 54 114 168

Jul-12 168 96 103 4 0 51 106 157

Aug-12 157 83 97 6 0 54 83 137

Sep-12 137 80 77 5 0 47 88 135

Oct-12 135 76 81 8 0 30 92 122

Drilling

Oct-11 458 382 443 16 0 85 296 381

Nov-11 381 342 324 8 0 146 245 391

Dec-11 391 291 370 5 0 118 189 307

Jan-12 307 372 258 7 0 133 281 414

Feb-12 414 370 382 8 0 103 291 394

Mar-12 394 292 347 13 0 103 223 326

Apr-12 326 410 235 1 0 127 373 500

May-12 500 491 506 25 0 110 350 460

Jun-12 460 327 377 9 0 114 287 401

Jul-12 401 234 276 4 0 91 264 355

Aug-12 355 313 288 9 0 146 225 371

Sep-12 371 251 256 24 0 98 244 342

Oct-12 342 321 267 29 0 65 302 367

Recompletion

Oct-11 28 45 29 0 0 3 41 44

Nov-11 44 29 57 2 0 4 10 14

Dec-11 14 31 23 0 0 8 14 22

Jan-12 22 26 21 2 0 9 16 25

Feb-12 25 23 27 0 0 5 16 21

Mar-12 21 21 14 0 0 5 23 28

Apr-12 28 16 24 3 0 6 10 17

May-12 17 23 16 0 0 6 18 24

Jun-12 24 11 19 0 0 3 13 16

Jul-12 16 9 14 0 0 3 8 11

Aug-12 11 6 9 0 0 1 7 8

Sep-12 8 1 5 2 0 0 2 2

Oct-12 2 9 3 0 0 0 8 8

Incomplete are permits that have missing or inaccurate data and cannot be approved.

Backlog = Incomplete + In-process = Remaining permits from previous month

0 

200 

400 

600 

800 

1000 

1200 

Oct-11 Nov-11 Dec-11 Jan-12 Feb-12 Mar-12 Apr-12 May-12 Jun-12 Jul-12 Aug-12 Sep-12 Oct-12 Applications

Received Applications

Received Form 2A Received Drilling Received Recompletion

0 

100 

200 

300 

400 

500 

600 

700 

Oct-11 Nov-11 Dec-11 Jan-12 Feb-12 Mar-12 Apr-12 May-12 Jun-12 Jul-12 Aug-12 Sep-12 Oct-12 Applications

Approved Applications

Approved Form 2A Approved Drilling Approved Recompletion
Oil & Gas Staff Report November 15, 2012 21
22 Oil & Gas Staff Report November 15, 2012
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24 Oil & Gas Staff Report November 15, 2012
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26 Oil & Gas Staff Report November 15, 2012
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28 Oil & Gas Staff Report November 15, 2012
Oil & Gas Staff Report November 15, 2012 29