Colorado’s costs to plug abandoned oil and gas wells shifting from taxpayers to companies

DENVER — The deadly explosion in Firestone a few years ago is a tragedy Colorado never wants to relive. Two men died because of an old, leaky gas line left uncapped by the company after the well stopped producing.

The new rules could help protect Coloradans’ health, safety and the state's natural beauty, without taxpayers having to foot the bill, Leathwood said. Kait Schwartz, who directs Colorado’s chapter of the American Petroleum Institute, a trade association representing the oil and natural gas industry, said companies are mostly on board with the rules so far.

As Colorado moves to hold companies accountable for more of the costs of capping old wells, the federal government is making similar rules.

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