Denver, CO (Jun. 17, 2022) - Gov. Jared Polis today announced two new appointments to the Colorado Oil & Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) who will be members of the professional commission established by SB19-181.
“We welcome these two appointees and are excited to leverage their experiences and knowledge to build upon the successes of the past few years in creating and using regulations that ensure oil and gas production and development is done at the highest level, and protects our lands, water, people, rivers and wildlife,” said Dan Gibbs, Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources. “Colorado has been a leader in finding solutions and the professional commission and the incredible COGCC staff can be attributed to that success, as it has developed the nation’s strongest rules in oil and gas.”
effective July 1, 2022 and for a term expiring July 1, 2026:
Brett Ackerman of Colorado Springs, Colorado, to serve as a member with formal training or substantial experience in environmental protection, wildlife protection, or reclamation, appointed.
Brett Ackerman has spent over 20 years with Colorado Parks and Wildlife in various positions, most recently as CPW’s Southeast Region Manager, and as a member of the agency’s executive leadership team. Over the past two decades he has helped formulate, guide and implement many of Colorado’s natural resource conservation policies and land use practices, including leading CPW’s engagement in the SB 19-181 COGCC rulemaking process.
effective July 1, 2022 and for a term expiring July 1, 2026:
Michael Cross of Arvada, to serve as a member with substantial experience in the oil and gas industry, appointed.
Mike Cross has significant industry legal experience, especially on energy industry regulatory and policy issues in the oil, natural gas, and mining sectors, as well as federal and state statutory and regulatory compliance issues. Additionally, he has experience in tribal, federal and state oil and gas leases in Colorado’s basins.
The Commission is implementing SB 19-181, which changed the mission of the COGCC from “fostering” oil and gas to “regulating” in a manner that is protective of public health, safety, welfare, wildlife and the environment. Since 2019, the Commission has created a regulatory process that provides protections while allowing for the production of clean domestic energy to power our lives and businesses.
“We find that by working together, and involving all stakeholders to reach consensus, we develop workable, practical solutions for protectively regulating Colorado’s oil and gas industry,” said Jeff Robbins, COGCC Chair. “As we roll up our sleeves to transition to the daily implementation of SB 19-181, after the heavy lifting of rulemaking, it is critical to have a strong commission to do the work that SB 19-181’s rulemaking set. We welcome both new commissioners and look forward to working together with our staff and stakeholders to ensure that oil and gas development and production is done in a protective manner for Colorado.”
About the ECMC
The mission of the Colorado Energy & Carbon Management Commission (ECMC) is to regulate the development and production of the natural resources of oil and gas, deep geothermal resources, the capture and sequestration of carbon, and the underground storage of natural gas in a manner that protects public health, safety, welfare, the environment and wildlife resources. Visit the ECMC website for more information.