HB 16-1310 Summary

• Amends Colorado law to require oil and gas operators to exercise reasonable care to avoid causing bodily injury and to minimize surface intrusion and damage, replacing the prior "material interference" standard.

• Expands who can bring liability claims to include property owners, injured persons residing on the property, and individuals injured by oil and gas operations, in addition to surface owners.

• Establishes strict liability for operators whose oil and gas operations, including hydraulic fracturing or reinjection operations, cause earthquakes that damage property or injure individuals.

• Requires plaintiffs to establish prima facie causation by showing an earthquake occurred, caused damage or injury, and the operations occurred in an area with independently peer-reviewed evidence of induced seismicity.

• Sets a 5-year statute of limitations from discovery of damages or injury, notwithstanding standard Colorado limitations of action rules.