The changes do not raise taxes on the energy industry, but they will bring in an estimated $2 million more to La Plata County and $750,000 to Montezuma County every year.
Mesa and Garfield counties would be the biggest losers from the plan.
Right now, 15 percent of the taxes collected on energy production go back to county governments, based on how many energy industry workers live in the county. That formula has hurt Four Corners counties because many workers live across the state line.
House Bill 1083 by Kathleen Curry, D-Gunnison, changes the formula to take into account the number of wells and energy production from the counties. La Plata County supplies more than 40 percent of the state's natural gas, and Montezuma County accounts for almost all the carbon dioxide produced in Colorado.
Rep. Cory Gardner, R-Yuma, pointed out that some counties will lose money from the new formula. Most of the counties that stand to lose are on the Front Range and Eastern Plains, including several in Gardner's district.
"There definitely are losers," Curry said. But the new system will provide "more equity than we have now."
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HB 1083 passed the House on a voice vote Friday. It still has to survive one more vote in the House before it can go to the Senate.
Legislators and citizens met several times last summer and fall to create the bill. La Plata County Commissioner Kellie Hotter and Finance Director Karla Distel attended the meetings.
If HB 1083 passes, La Plata County would gain more than any county in Colorado. Montezuma would see the fifth-largest gain. The Legislature's financial experts predict an $18,000 increase for Archuleta County.
The new formula is harshest to Mesa and Garfield counties, which stand to lose $8 million and $2 million, respectively.
The total tax on the energy industry would not change under Curry's bill, although Gov. Bill Ritter is in discussions on a ballot measure to raise taxes on gas and oil producers.
