2023 Colorado Revised Statutes › Title 34 - MINERAL RESOURCES (§§ 34-1-100.5 — 34-70-101) › OIL AND NATURAL GAS (§§ 34-60-101 — 34-70-101) › CONSERVATION AND REGULATION (§§ 34-60-101 — 34-64-108) › Article 60 - OIL AND GAS CONSERVATION (§§ 34-60-101 — 34-60-143) › Section 34-60-108 - Rules - hearings - process

(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 section. The hearing shall be held at such time and place as may be prescribed by the commission, and any interested person shall be entitled to be heard.
(3)
When an emergency requiring immediate action is found by the commission to exist, it is authorized to issue an emergency order without notice of hearing, which shall be effective upon promulgation, but no such order shall remain effective for more than fifteen days.
(4)
Any notice required by this article, except as provided in this section, shall be given by the commission either by mailing a copy thereof, postage prepaid, to the last known mailing address of the person to be given notice, or by personal service. In addition, the commission shall cause one publication of such notice, at least ten days prior to the hearing, in a newspaper of general circulation in the city and county of Denver and in a newspaper of general circulation in the county where the land affected, or some part thereof, is situated. The notice shall issue in the name of the state, shall be signed by the commission or the secretary of the commission, shall specify the style and number of the proceeding and the time and place at which the hearing will be held, shall state the time within which protests to the granting of a petition shall be filed if a petition has been filed, and shall briefly state the purpose of the proceeding. Should the commission elect or be required to give notice by personal service, such service may be made by any officer authorized to serve summonses or by any agent of the commission in the same manner and extent as is provided by law for the service of summons in civil actions in the district courts of this state. Proof of service by such agent shall be by his affidavit, and proof of service by an officer shall be in the form required by law with respect to service of process in civil actions. In all cases where there is an application for the entry of a pooling order or unitization order, or an application for an exception from an established well spacing pattern, or a complaint is made by the commission or any party that any provision of this article, or any rule, regulation, or order of the commission, is being violated, notice of the hearing to be held on such application or complaint shall be served on the interested parties either by mail as provided in this subsection (4) or in the same manner as is provided in the Colorado rules of civil procedure for the service of process in civil actions in the district courts of this state.
(5)
Any person who believes that he may be an interested party in any proceeding before the commission may file with the commission a request for notices, and thereafter for a period as determined by the commission, not to exceed three years, such person shall be entitled to receive notice by mail of the filing of all petitions upon which a hearing may be held. The filing of a request for notices by a person shall be deemed to be a consent by that person to service of notice by mail at the address shown on the request filed by him in those proceedings in which notice by mail may be given. A request for notices filed under provisions of this subsection (5) may be withdrawn or a new request filed at any time by the person filing the same.
(6)
All rules, regulations, and orders issued by the commission shall be in writing, shall be entered in full in books kept by the commission for that purpose, shall be indexed, shall show the date on which such entry was made in the books, which date shall be the date of entry for the purpose of section
34-60-111
, and shall be public records open for inspection at all times during reasonable office hours. Except for orders establishing or changing rules of practice and procedure, all orders made and published by the commission shall include or be based upon written findings of fact, which said findings of fact shall be entered and indexed as public records in the manner provided by this section. A copy of any rule, regulation, finding of fact, or order, certified by the commission or by its secretary, shall be received in evidence in all courts of this state with the same effect as the original.
(7)
The commission may act upon its own motion, or upon the petition of any interested person. On the filing of a petition concerning any matter within the jurisdiction of the commission, it shall promptly fix a date for a hearing thereon and shall cause notice of the filing of the petition and of the date for the hearing thereon to be given. Any interested party desiring to protest the granting of the petition shall, at least three days prior to the date of the hearing, file a written protest with the commission, which shall briefly state the basis of the protest. Upon a showing that all interested parties have consented in writing to the granting of the petition without a hearing, the commission may enter an order granting the petition forthwith and without a hearing. In all other cases, the hearing shall be held at the time and place specified in the notice, and all persons who have filed a timely protest shall be given full opportunity to be heard. If no protest to the granting of the petition has been made, the commission may enter an order based upon the facts stated in the verified petition, without the necessity of taking testimony or the making of a record. The commission shall enter its order within thirty days after the hearing. Any person affected by any order of the commission shall have the right at any time to apply to the commission to repeal, amend, modify, or supplement the same.
(8)
Any person who files a protest with the commission pursuant to the provisions of subsection (7) of this section shall at the same time serve a copy thereof on the person filing the petition. Such service shall be made by mailing a copy of the protest, postage prepaid, to the petitioner.
(9)
Whenever any hearing or other proceeding is assigned to an administrative law judge, hearing officer, or individual commissioner for hearing, the administrative law judge, hearing officer, or commissioner, after the conclusion of the hearing, shall promptly transmit to the commission and the parties the record and exhibits of the proceeding and a written recommended decision that contains the findings of fact, conclusions, and recommended order. A party may file an exception to the recommended order; but if no exceptions are filed within twenty days after service upon the parties, or unless the commission stays the recommended order within that time upon its own motion, the recommended order becomes the decision of the commission and subject to section
34-60-111
. The commission upon its own motion may, and where exceptions are filed shall, conduct a de novo review of the matter upon the same record, and the recommended order is stayed pending the commission's final determination of the matter. The commission may adopt, reject, or modify the recommended order.
(10)
The director of the commission may hire and designate employees of the commission as administrative law judges who have the authority to administer oaths, examine witnesses, receive evidence, and conduct hearings, investigations, and other proceedings on behalf of the commission.
Amended by 2024 Ch. 216,§ 5, eff. 5/21/2024.
Amended by 2019 Ch. 120, §13, eff. 4/16/2019.
L. 51: p. 655, § 8. CSA: C. 118, § 68(8). CRS 53: § 100-6-7. L. 55: p. 653, § 5. C.R.S. 1963: § 100-6-7. L. 65: p. 898, § 2. L. 69: p. 874, § 1. L. 77: (4) amended, p. 1566, § 1, effective May 24. L. 94: (2) amended, p. 1982, § 7, effective June 2. L. 2019: (9) added, (SB 19-181), ch. 517, p. 517, § 13, effective April 16.
Section 19 of chapter 120 (SB 19-181), Session Laws of Colorado 2019, provides that the act changing this section applies to conduct occurring on or after April 16, 2019, including determinations of applications pending on April 16, 2019.
(1) For rule-making procedures, see article 4 of title 24 ; for rules concerning service of summons and proof thereof, see C.R.C.P. 4. (2) For the legislative declaration contained in the 1994 act amending subsection (2), see section 1 of chapter 317, Session Laws of Colorado 1994.