Weld County commissioners on Sept. 8 approved on second reading Code Ordinance 2025-12, which repeals and reenacts portions of Chapter 21 of the Weld County Code to update the county’s oil-and-gas permitting and oversight processes. The board voted to amend the ordinance by deleting a section of “pending ordinance” language and then approved the ordinance as amended.

The ordinance replaces the county’s Weld Oil and Gas Location Assessment (WOGLA) review pathway, removes the current location-assessment requirement for pipelines, and adds back an emergency-action-plan requirement that will apply to pipelines. Brett (staff member) told the board the changes came after “extensive collaboration with industry, community leaders, and Weld County staff,” and said the revisions are intended to create “greater clarity, consistency, and transparency” in permitting.

The change to pipeline review was a focal point. Brett said at second reading that staff had added back an emergency-action-plan provision for pipelines after consulting the office of emergency management and the county attorney’s office. He said the permit formerly tied to that program “will not continue” while the emergency-action safeguards remain. County Attorney Bruce, when asked about language regarding “waters of the state,” told the board, “In an essence, all we're doing is saying, here's the law, you gotta follow it. We can't do anything about that,” meaning the county is restating applicable Colorado law in the code.

Commissioner Scott James thanked staff for their response to a recent incident near Milliken and asked staff to explain changes to stormwater requirements. Brett said staff worked with public works and the county attorney’s office to clarify waiver and liability language and to define what operators must provide up front, with the goal of aligning technical standards and removing duplicative review.

The board first moved to amend the ordinance to delete the “pending ordinance” paragraph on page 83; that motion was made by Commissioner Kevin Ross and seconded by Commissioner Scott James and approved by voice vote. Commissioner Scott James then moved to approve the ordinance on second reading as amended; the motion was seconded by Commissioner Kevin Ross and approved by voice vote.

Brett told the board the overall goals of the revisions are to provide regulatory predictability for operators while maintaining public-safety and environmental safeguards and to preserve Weld County’s local authority over energy development.

The ordinance text addresses definitions, streamlines staff review steps for location assessments, clarifies drainage and stormwater expectations, and modifies how certain pipeline-related requirements are handled going forward. The board opened the item for public comment at second reading; no members of the public spoke on the record during that period. The ordinance becomes part of the Weld County Code as amended.

Details preserved from second-reading debate include: staff added back an emergency action-plan provision that applies to pipelines only; staff said they simplified drainage and stormwater requirements and clarified liability and waiver processes; and county counsel confirmed the code includes language that reflects Colorado law on “waters of the state.”