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Finance committee backs bill letting Colorado seek primacy over UIC wells
Summary
HB 11-12 would authorize Colorado to seek EPA primacy over multiple classes of underground injection control wells and assign oversight to state agencies; sponsors and industry and environmental witnesses said state oversight can provide more efficient permitting and stricter, locally tailored protections. The committee advanced the bill to appropriations 9-2.
The Colorado House Finance Committee voted to send House Bill 11-12 to the Committee on Appropriations after testimony from sponsors, industry representatives and state agencies about giving Colorado the authority to seek primacy from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to regulate additional underground injection control (UIC) well classes.
Representative Paschal, a prime sponsor, said the bill "grants Colorado the authority to seek full primacy over UIC wells encompassing all 6 classes of injection wells currently regulated by the EPA" and would vest program implementation in the Energy and Carbon Management Commission and the Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety, with collaborative support from other state agencies.
Representative Smith, a co-sponsor and former biogeochemist, said the move "harnesses our strengths as a state to advance technology and provide a predictable, efficient and environmentally sound regulatory environment," and emphasized that startup costs will come from existing cash funds, with permitting fees anticipated to fund the program once primacy is achieved (estimated 2028–29).
Industry and clean-energy witnesses supported the bill. Angela Zivkovich of Occidental Petroleum said, "Oxy stands in support of this bill because we have seen the efficiencies gained by bringing all the regulatory authority under 1 agency." Dan West of the Clean Air Task Force argued state primacy can yield oversight more tailored to state geology and stakeholder needs. Courtney Hemingway, a groundwater engineer, warned that EPA permitting changes have in some cases imposed long delays and high costs on water‑management projects.
Agency witnesses from DNR, DRMS and ECMC described implementation plans and the fiscal timeline: startup work funded from cash funds with no general-fund impact, fee collection beginning after primacy in roughly FY28–29, and DRMS estimating the need for one additional environmental protection specialist in FY28–29. Committee members debated several technical amendments; a substitute amendment clarifying fee language (L010) passed after staff and sponsor explanations.
The committee recorded a roll-call vote sending HB 11-12 as amended to Appropriations; the motion passed 9 to 2.
