Air pollution skyrockets as new Colorado oil and gas activity booms

Oil and gas activity in 2022 was heavily focused on the Front Range, which accounted for 72% of the 838 new wells approved and almost two-thirds of the new drill sites in the state, according to an annual report on the industry’s cumulative impacts.

The 2022 number was a sharp increase over 2021 when 48 wells were approved in the Denver-Julesburg Basin and the Eastern Plains.

Estimated air emissions for new projects and water consumption were also up, according to data provided by operators to the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission.

As part of Senate Bill 181 — the 2019 law that made the COGCC mission protecting public health, welfare, safety and the environment — the commission was directed to evaluate and address potential cumulative impact of…