Colorado oil and gas regulators are alleging multiple violations connected to a major blowout at a Chevron well pad in Galeton last April. The allegations, formally submitted by staff at the state’s Energy and Carbon Management Commission (ECMC), are the first step in a legal process that could lead to hefty fines for the oil and gas operator.
It’s been nearly three months since a massive blowout at Noble Energy’s Bishop Well in rural Weld County sent a geyser of well bore fluids spraying into the air. Fourteen homes were evacuated, and a nearby elementary school building was closed for two weeks as workers hired by Chevron, Noble Energy’s parent company, scrambled for four days to bring the blowout under control. Four households remain evacuated from the area.
At an ECMC hearing on June 26, agency staff opened formal allegations, in the guise of a Notice of Alleged Violations (NOAV) that Noble Energy/Chevron broke six different state rules, ranging from safety requirements to pollution control. The NOAV accuses Chevron and its subsidiary of failing to take all reasonable precautions to prevent the uncontrolled release of oil and gas. It says the company also erred on several other fronts, including using equipment improperly, failing to keep workers safe, polluting the surrounding air, water and soil and illegally venting natural gas from the well…