HB 18-1157: Increased Reporting of Oil and Gas Incidents

• Oil and gas operators must file written reports with the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission for each major and minor "reportable event" and provide oral notice of major events within 24 hours of discovery.

• Major reportable events include unauthorized releases exceeding 25 barrels of oil/waste, gas flaring/venting over 500,000 cubic feet (or 1.5 million at transport facilities), fires, incidents within 500 feet of sensitive areas or public spaces, fatal accidents, well blowouts, and uncontrolled hydrogen sulfide releases of 100+ parts per million.

• Minor reportable events include unauthorized releases of 5-25 barrels, gas flaring/venting of 50,000-500,000 cubic feet (or up to 1.5 million at transport facilities), uncontrolled fires or explosions, and serious bodily injury accidents.

• Written reports must include event date/time, location details, topographical maps, incident cause, damage description, emergency response details, volume estimates, worker credentials, weld testing information, and injury/death causes.

• The commission shall establish a publicly searchable online database containing all incident reports and notifications, searchable by operator, location, event type, and date, plus an annual summary of all reportable events.