Last Monday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency told Colorado air regulators to require tougher monitoring at six oil and gas compressor stations on the Western Slope, saying the state's draft operating permits do not do enough to detect or track releases of volatile organic compounds. The directive could force the Air Pollution Control Division to revise those permits or risk federal action under the Clean Air Act.
In a March 9 order, the EPA partially rejected six proposed Title V operating permits for sites in Garfield County, writing that "the petitioner has demonstrated that the permit does not include monitoring requirements sufficient to assure compliance with the VOC emission limit on maintenance and blowdown activities." The agency also took issue with language that would have allowed flare emissions to be tested only once every five years, a schedule the EPA said could miss short, high-concentration releases. Companies can keep running under their existing permits while the objections are addressed, according to The Denver Post.
Who operates the affected stations
State enforcement records show that several of the compressor stations are listed under the Bargath name, and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment keeps a public list of recent Bargath settlements and permit actions. Summit Midstream's public filings describe Grand River Gathering as a Piceance Basin gathering system primarily located in Garfield County and identify it as the operator of the sixth station. The CDPHE and the SEC provide background on those ties.
What EPA's objection means and the timeline
Under Title V procedures, the state must respond to EPA objections or revise the permits; if the state fails to revise and resubmit the permits within the statutory window, the agency can issue or deny the permits itself. According to the agency's Title V petition database and prior Administrator orders, Colorado generally has 90 days to revise and resubmit permits after an EPA objection. EPA
Local groups welcome the move
Environmental groups that asked the EPA to revisit the permits called the order long overdue. "The state was issuing permits so bad that even the trump administration had to object," Jeremy Nichols told The Denver Post, referring to petitions the Center for Biological Diversity filed in 2025 urging the EPA to act. Advocates say stronger monitoring, including more frequent flare testing and fenceline sensors, would give nearby communities better warning of short-term spikes and create more enforceable data.
Why monitoring matters
Volatile organic compounds can irritate the lungs, aggravate asthma and other respiratory conditions, and some, including benzene, are linked to cancer, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Advocates say more continuous or fenceline monitoring near compressor stations would catch short-term spikes that periodic testing can miss and would give regulators and residents clearer, enforceable data.
