Arapahoe County has opened the floor to its residents for commentary on the proposed expansion of the Tebo oil and gas facility, located Southeast of Watkins Road and East Jewell Avenue. The project, spearheaded by Crestone Peak Resources, doing business as Civitas, would see the enlargement of the Tebo 28-1 well pad to a space of 12.89 acres, aimed to facilitate the drilling of up to 16 new wells. According to Arapahoe County, the public has the chance to make their voices heard on this matter exclusively via an online form until the closing minute of December 23.
Residing within the Box Elder Creek watershed tributary, the proposed expansion avoids the floodplain, with plans to bring the used area down to 4.95 acres after reclamation. Despite the community now having the opportunity to comment, the county's staff has already been pursuing the application through the recently updated rules in Arapahoe County’s Land Development Code (LDC). Claimed to be the most stringent in the state, these rules reflect years of back-and-forth between the industry, stakeholders, and the county and include enhanced requirements regarding setbacks, air, and water quality monitoring.
These new regulations come as a result of amendments made in the previous two years, underscoring Arapahoe County's commitment to tougher oil and gas governance. As noted by Arapahoe County, "The guiding regulations—the result of years of feedback from industry and stakeholders— provide an objective framework by which to evaluate this application." A thorough analysis of the final application materials, coupled with the public's comments, will ultimately guide the director of Public Works and Development in issuing a decision to approve or deny the application.
