Author: I-70 Scout

The Arapahoe County Board of Commissioners will hold a public hearing at 9:30 a.m. Nov. 14 to consider oil and gas amendments to the County’s Land Use Code that include wildfire protections, increased setbacks, an air quality monitoring program, and additional testing requirements for soil, surface water and groundwater.  

The hearing will be held in the East Hearing Room within the Administration Building, 5334 S. Prince St., in Littleton. Those who can’t attend in person can participate in the hearing by calling 855-436-3656 and pressing *3 to speak.  

The Planning Commission unanimously recommended denial of the proposed amendments at their Nov. 8 public hearing. A recording of the meeting will be available on the website. 

While the Planning Commission recommend denial, the Board of County Commissioners will consider the following: 

• Require oil and gas operations to be located 3,000 feet away from existing and planned reservoirs when downgradient conditions can be demonstrated; 
• Increase setbacks from occupied structures, platted lots and outside activity areas to 2,500 or 3,000 feet; 

• Include wildland urban interface protections determined necessary by the fire district; 
• Require soil contamination testing for any incidents where fluids move off a well pad. This includes a remediation plan if testing reveals contaminants are present off the well pad; 
• Require the creation of groundwater and surface water quality plans, which provides additional water testing beyond state requirements, paid for by the operator; 
• Develop an air quality mitigation plan, including air quality monitoring beyond state requirements with additional monitoring stations and increased leak detection monitoring. This requires County notification should a test result exceed air quality standards and monitoring  conducted by an independent third-party consultant, paid for by the operator; 
• Require continuous noise monitoring by an independent third-party consultant, paid for by the operator.  

The Board of County Commissioner’s agenda and additional information of the proposed amendments is available at arapahoeco.gov/agendas.  

The board previously approved amendments to the oil and gas land development code on October 10, which included a one-mile setback from existing and planned reservoirs unless downgradient conditions can be demonstrated, requiring access roads that comply with fire code, and requiring handwashing supplies for workers at oil and gas sites. 

The County is developing additional amendments for consideration in early 2024, such as the inclusion of financial assurances and development of a County inspection program. For more information, visit www.arapahoeco.gov/oilandgas.   

Arapahoe County is proposing further amendments to its oil and gas regulations. The proposed amendments include wildfire protections, increased setbacks, additional soil, surface water, and groundwater testing, and an air quality program.

The Planning Commission will hold a public hearing at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 8 at the Arapahoe County Administration Building, 5334 S. Prince St., in Littleton. (A previous version of this news item incorrectly listed Lima Plaza in Centennial as the meeting location.) Those who can’t attend in person can participate in the hearing by calling 855-436-3656 and pressing *3 to speak.

The proposed amendments include:

• Requiring oil and gas operations to be 3,000 feet away from existing and planned reservoirs when downgradient conditions can be demonstrated;
• Increasing setbacks from occupied structures, platted lots, outside activity areas and water bodies;
• Including wildland urban interface protections determined necessary by the fire district;
• Requiring soil contamination testing for any incidents where fluids move off a well pad. This includes a remediation plan if testing reveals contaminants are present off the well pad;
• Requiring the creation of groundwater and surface water quality plans, which provide additional water testing beyond state requirements;
• Developing an air quality mitigation plan. This includes air quality monitoring beyond state requirements with additional monitoring stations and increased leak detection monitoring, plus County notification should a test result exceed air quality standards. Monitoring to be conducted by an independent third-party consultant, paid for by the operator;
• Requiring continuous noise monitoring by an independent third-party consultant, paid for by the operator.

The agenda and additional information of the proposed amendments are available in Legistar.

The Board of County Commissioners will take up these amendments during a public hearing set for 9:30 a.m. Nov. 14 in the East Hearing Room within the Administration Building, 5334 S. Prince St., in Littleton.

A month ago, the Board of County Commissioners approved amendments to the oil and gas regulations, which included a one-mile setback from existing and planned reservoirs unless downgradient conditions can be demonstrated, requiring access roads that comply with fire code and requiring handwashing supplies for workers at oil and gas sites.

For more information, visit www.arapahoeco.gov/oilandgas.

ECT 11-05-23 Flyer

Halloween tips for drivers and trick-or-treaters (COLO) – Tomorrow is Halloween, and the Colorado State Patrol wants motorists and pedestrians to do their part as they share the road for an evening of trick-or-treating and fun. According to statewide statistics, 2022 was a record-setting year for pedestrian fatalities with 111 people killed on Colorado roadways, representing 15% of the state’s total traffic fatalities. “Kids love the magic of Halloween, so we all need to do our part to ensure they are practicing road and pedestrian safety,” stated Col. Matthew C. Packard, chief of the Colorado State Patrol. “Talk to your older kids and go with your younger ones. Being a good role model by crossing at intersections and wearing something bright shows them they can have fun and also do it safely.” Drivers are also asked to stay alert for pedestrians and follow the following tips from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA): Drive slowly around neighborhoods and residential streets, even if you don’t see trick-or-treaters around. Don’t drink and drive. Don’t drive high. Watch for children who may dart out into the street, and always yield to pedestrians. If you see one child, there are likely to be more who are ready to cross. When driving, ensure your headlights are on—not just your daytime running lights. Try to park in a spot where you won’t need to back up. But if you must, have an adult outside to make sure no children are in the way of your vehicle when you do. Don’t use a cell phone, adjust your vehicle controls or eat while driving. Pull over safely to do all of those things, if necessary. Troopers continue to take a low-tolerance approach to the top fatal crash factors, including lane violations while launching a yearlong campaign called “Drive Safe.” This campaign reminds people to control their lane position based on their current driving environment.

Halloween is creeping upon us, attracting the attention of Ghostbusters across the nation. But with ghost stories dating back centuries around the world, which U.S. states are the most haunted house-obsessed?

AirportParkingReservations.com took a deep dive into all things ghost-related to reveal the states that are most obsessed with haunted houses. They examined the number of searches for haunted houses, haunted house reports, and the number of ghost stories and Ghost Adventures episodes filmed in each state.

California Named the Most Ghost-Obsessed State

California takes the number one spot in the US for paranormal lovers. The data revealed that there are 431 searches for ‘haunted house’ per 10,000 residents, with 45 total episodes from Ghost Hunters & Ghost Adventures being filmed in the state. Ghost Quest, a ghost reporting site, found 1351 total haunted locations have been reported.

The Big Apple came in second, with New York having the second-highest number of episodes filmed within the state, and with a total of 1250.3 searches for ghosts for every 10,000 residents.

Nevada came in third across the nation – the state came in number one among haunted house searches per 10,000 residents with 1322 searches per 10,000. Pennsylvania and Ohio round out the top five among the most haunted house-obsessed states.

The full US ranking can be found below:

The network helps businesses increase energy efficiency, save money, and create a greener Colorado

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s Colorado Green Business Network is pleased to announce that it has accepted 117 new businesses into the network. These businesses now join 36 other green Colorado businesses in gaining access to funding resources, a support system, mentorship, technical assistance, and statewide recognition. 

The program recognizes organizations as Bronze-, Silver- or Gold-level Members, based on points accumulated in their certification application, for voluntarily going above and beyond compliance with state and federal regulations and working toward the goal of true, operational sustainability. These newly-accepted businesses will be honored at the annual recognition event on Friday, September 29 at the Denver Zoo. 

“Our goal is to make Colorado greener and more sustainable, and we are eager to recognize this year’s round of environmental leaders who are making important strides to support Colorado’s sustainability goals,” said Rayna Oliker, Colorado Green Business Network Administrator. “These businesses have advanced their operational sustainability by demonstrating notable reductions in emissions and reducing their use of water, energy, waste, and transportation. We are proud of their work and are eager to honor them at our upcoming recognition event.” 

The program provides free, off-site coaching and on-site assistance to any organization that requests it and recognizes organizations that take the initiative to reduce their carbon footprint resource use at their facility. The program can help businesses track their energy usage data, install conservation measures, such as low-flow toilets or LEDs, and upgrade their equipment to more efficient models. In addition, the program helps Colorado businesses assess opportunities for improvement, recognizes outstanding sustainability successes, and provides connections to like-minded businesses. 

The Colorado Green Business Network community represents businesses across the state, large and small, that implement unique and inspiring projects to reduce their environmental impact. The network aims to support any business, industry, office, educational institution, municipality, government agency, community, nonprofit, and organization from all corners of the state. A map of recognized businesses is available on CDPHE’s website. 

For more information, visit the Colorado Green Business Network website or contact . 

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The Colorado Green Business Network is a voluntary program that encourages, supports, and rewards organizations that make the move toward the goal of true, operational sustainability. Its goal is to support organizations throughout the state at any level of implementation in increasing the efficiency and sustainability of their operation through assessing opportunities for growth, recognizing success, and providing connections to like-minded businesses throughout the state.