Aaron Ray, director of policy in the Executive Director’s Office at the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, briefed the commission on DNR’s budget and legislative agenda for the 2026 session.

Ray said the governor’s budget request (released Oct. 31) seeks an operating budget of roughly $500 million and about 1,840 FTE for DNR. He said the request includes a 3.1 percent across‑the‑board salary increase and 16 new cash‑funded staff across the agency. Ray noted proposed statewide budget sweeps—$4 million in FY25‑26 and $2.5 million in FY26‑27—from various cash funds to balance the forecast; he told the commission those sweeps would not affect ECMC’s operational funding and that ECMC receives $6 million in severance tax operational fund spending authority annually.

On legislation, Ray said DNR is pursuing five priority bills. The highest‑interest item for ECMC would seek statutory authority for ECMC to pursue primacy for additional U.S. EPA underground injection control (UIC) well classes beyond the agency’s existing class 2 primacy and anticipated class 6 primacy in 2026. Ray said taking primacy for other classes would increase certainty and allow Colorado to coordinate permitting, reporting and grant work with the U.S. EPA and other state agencies including Reclamation, Mining and Safety; the Division of Water Resources; the Department of Public Health and Environment; and the Department of Labor and Employment.

Ray also previewed bills to expand CPW capacity under an Outdoor Opportunities Act, address human–bear interactions by expanding enforcement tools, and to carry forward annual Species Conservation Trust Fund and water projects appropriations.

Ray announced a new assistant director for energy innovation (Jennifer Walker Graff) and noted DNR requested additional staffing capacity at the State Land Board to handle leasing, compliance management and emerging carbon‑management and geothermal opportunities.

What’s next: DNR’s budget will be briefed to the Joint Budget Committee in December; legislative session convenes Jan. 14, 2026. ECMC said staff and commissioners could follow up with DNR and other agencies on specifics of the primacy proposal and budget changes.

(Reporting note: dollar figures and staff counts are drawn from Aaron Ray’s Nov. 19 remarks to the ECMC.)