Adverse health effects, visual and noise disturbances, and ineffective law enforcement were among the top concerns voiced by many of the nearly 50 people who attended a public hearing on proposed revisions to the county's gas and oil code.

"We live in an isolated part of the county that very often gets ignored, and the oil and gas industry has been much less than a good neighbor," said Denise Bohemier of Marvel.

She told commissioners that in the last five years she has witnessed wells drilled without permits; waste water placed in stock ponds and dumped on roads for dust mitigation; and well sites overgrown with weeds, covered with trash and left open to livestock.

Jim Bash of Allison told commissioners that he could point out six to eight wells from his front door, and count as many or more from his back door.

Rebecca Koeppen, a holistic health practitioner and a member on the San Juan Citizens Alliance's oil and gas task force, was one of many speakers who asked commissioners to take their responsibility to protect citizens and the environment seriously.

"I feel it's completely unacceptable that there's no full disclosure of chemicals used , she said. "Surely, issues of public safety must come first."

Christi Zeller, executive director of the La Plata County Energy Council, was one of the few attendees speaking in support of the industry.

"Industry operations are conducted in a responsible manner, and we're obviously regulated by state and other regulatory organizations," she said.

She identified the removal of 10-day automatic approvals of well permits, one of the proposed changes in the code, as a high-priority concern for the 34 gas and oil companies she said she represented.

Josh Joswick, oil and gas coordinator for the San Juan Citizens Alliance, said that although his group was satisfied with many of the proposed revisions he also urged the commissioners to make additional changes, including those to address processing of horizontal wells, disposal of pit liners from properties, and use of smaller well pads.

Jon Holst, energy liaison for the Colorado Department of Wildlife, asked the commissioners to include a placeholder in the new regulations that would allow updated state regulations, currently being drafted by the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, to be implemented at the county level.

The proposed revisions mark the first time in 10 years that the county's gas and oil regulations have undergone a major review and revision.

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