Colorado oil and gas regulators — with little discussion — Wednesday approved a $1.5 million fine on Chevron Corp. for the largest well blowout in the state in at least a decade. The cleanup is expected to take an additional four years.
About $1 million of the money will pay for a series of programs to buttress statewide enforcement, including a forensic analysis of lab reports submitted by operators and an assessment of old, plugged wells.
Julie Murphy, executive director of the Colorado Energy and Carbon Management Commission, called the settlement agreement with Chevron “very tough but fair.”…