Each week, we talk with our colleagues at The Colorado Sun about the stories they're following. This time, editor Lance Benzel joined us to discuss an issue that's preventing a north Denver suburb from attracting new development.
Benzel told KUNC Frederick, Colorado, has a lot going for it.
“It has a manageable population of around 16,000, and it's just 30 miles north of Denver, which means it's close enough to the city to commute, but far enough to still find an affordable house," Benzel said. "So people want to move there.”
The town wants to grow, but developers say hundreds of oil and gas wells in and around Frederick are obstacles to new projects in town.
“There are 300 wells in and around Frederick, and that makes it hard in particular to plan large commercial and mixed-use properties that are key to growth,” Benzel said. “So this really is a case of Frederick's past colliding with its future.”
The town of Frederick is asking the state’s Energy & Carbon Management Commission (the panel formerly known as the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission) to mandate that K.P. Kauffman Company plug and clean up its 95 low-producing wells.
Benzel said this request is unprecedented, but that Frederick officials say it’s justified.
“It cites a new state rule that requires oil and gas producers to show they have the necessary resources to restore well sites. And Frederick argues that KPK not only lacks the resources, but they've allowed several of their wells to leak. So they say that that problem justifies forcing them to shut down and remove wells,” Benzel said.
K.P. Kauffman Company has filed a motion arguing that Frederick lacks legal standing to intervene in this issue. The company has sought to postpone hearings concerning the issue.
