Energy and Carbon Management Commission approves PDC Energy's Fairfield OGDP, cites consolidation and mitigation commitments
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Summary
The commission voted unanimously to approve PDC Energy's Fairfield Oil and Gas Development Plan, permitting 64 horizontal wells across three locations with conditions addressing produced-water handling and reaffirmation of an electrified, tankless production facility; commissioners pressed PDC for clearer practicability evidence on electrification.
The Energy and Carbon Management Commission voted to approve PDC Energy's Fairfield Oil and Gas Development Plan (OGDP) on Jan. 28, allowing development of 64 total horizontal wells across three locations in an approximately 8,334.89-acre drilling and spacing unit. Commissioner Ackerman moved for approval; the motion was seconded and carried unanimously.
PDC representatives told the commission the OGDP consolidates production to an existing off-site, electrified, tankless production facility and reduces the originally planned footprint from 131 wells to 64. Kelsey Wasilinski, counsel for PDC, said the plan will route production to an existing electrified facility and that the application complies with ECMC rules. "PDC has committed to plug, abandon, and reclaim 80 legacy wells and 33 facilities, resulting in a net reduction of 109 acres after the Fairfield locations are in production," Wasilinski said.
Tammy Waters, a PDC project lead, described design changes that reduced surface impacts: PDC projects 48.62 acres of initial disturbance during drilling and completions, reduced to 6.87 acres after interim reclamation, and estimated reductions of roughly 6.97 tons per year of NOx and 12.83 tons per year of VOCs as part of mitigation measures. Waters said measures include a tankless electrified production facility, tier-4 drilling engines, a quiet frac fleet, temporary sound walls, and 24/7 remote monitoring and leak detection.
Commissioners pressed staff and the company on the OGDP's practicability assessments for electrification. Commissioner Messner said the practicability assessment should be accompanied by supporting evidence from the utility and other documentation. Messner said, "I think the applicant has done a good job proposing locations that are sited in reasonable areas ... but the practicability assessment does have to come with evidence." Staff and counsel clarified that the E23-09 facility (the off-site production facility referenced in the application) has a BMP requiring electrification and that emissions calculations in the Form 2B assume an electrified E23-09 facility.
During deliberations staff and the Attorney General's representative offered a condition of approval (COA) reaffirming the existing BMP that the E23-09 facility be tankless and electrified; some commissioners raised that adding a COA duplicative of an existing commitment on a previously approved OGDP may be unnecessary. Commissioner Ackerman moved to approve the OGDP with the director's recommended condition regarding produced-water handling (Form 4 approval prior to certain completion operations); the commission voted to approve the application.
The commission record shows Weld County participated in the pre-application and 1041 WOGLA process, and county staff recommended approval. PDC said it engaged CPW and other agencies on wildlife protections (including measures to avoid disturbance during bald-eagle nesting) and secured a Weld County floodplain permit for the Ollie pad. PDC also described community outreach efforts including three community meetings and individualized contact with residents within 4,000 feet of proposed locations.
The commission concluded the business on the docket and adjourned.
