BEFORE THE OIL AND GAS CONSERVATION COMMISSION

OF THE STATE OF COLORADO

 

IN THE MATTER THE PROMULGATION AND                              )           CAUSE NOS. 139, 440, 479, 495 and 510

ESTABLISHMENT OF FIELD RULES TO GOVERN                      )                      

OPERATIONS IN THE RULISON, PARACHUTE, AND                  )           DOCKET NO. 0401-SP-01

GRAND VALLEY FIELDS, GARFIELD COUNTY, COLORADO      )          

 

NOTICE OF HEARING

 

TO ALL INTERESTED PARTIES AND TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

 

                        On April 21, 2003, the Commission issued Order Nos. 139-38, 440-23, 479-11, 495-3 and 510-8, which approved the drilling of wells for the production of gas and associated hydrocarbons from the Williams Fork Formation of the Mesaverde Group at the equivalent of one (1) well per ten (10) acres, with the permitted downhole location for each new Williams Fork Formation well drilled upon the below-listed lands (“Fee Application Lands”) located anywhere within a given drilling and spacing unit but not closer than 100 feet from the boundary of a drilling unit without exception being granted by the Director of the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (“COGCC”), provided that no new Williams Fork Formation well could be drilled with a downhole location closer than two hundred (200) feet from the exterior boundaries of the Fee Application Lands (with the exception of the ten acre pilot lands contiguous to the lands) without exception being granted by the Director of the COGCC.

 

Township 6 South, Range 94 West, 6th P.M.

Section 10:  N½ SE¼

Section 11:  S½ NW¼, N½ SW¼, SE¼ SW¼

Section 14:  E½

Section 15:  All

Section 16:  S½, W½ NE¼, E½ NW¼

Section 17:  SW¼ SW¼

Section 18:  SE¼ SE¼, W½ SE¼

Section 20:  S½ NE¼, E½ SE¼, W½ W½

Section 21:  N½ NE¼, SW¼ NE¼, S½ NW¼, S½

Section 22:  N½, SW¼, W½ SE¼

Section 27:  S½ NW¼, NE¼ NW¼, W½ SW¼, NW¼ NE¼

Section 28:  NE¼, N½ NW¼, E½ SE¼

Section 29:  N½ NE¼, NE¼ NW¼

 

Township 6 South, Range 95 West, 6th P.M.

Section 26:  S½ SW¼

Section 27:  S½ SW¼, SW¼ SE¼

Section 28:  S½ SE¼, E½ W½

Section 31:  SE¼ SE¼

Section 32:  SE¼ NE¼, N½ S½, S½ SW¼, SW¼ SE¼

Section 33:  E½, SW¼, SW¼ NW¼, NE¼ NW¼

Section 34:  All

Section 35:  N½ NW¼, SW¼ NW¼, NW¼ NE¼

 

Township 7 South, Range 95 West, 6th P.M.

Section 5:  NW¼ NW¼

Section 6:  N½ NE¼, SE¼ NW¼, SW¼ NE¼, NE¼ NW¼

 

Township 6 South, Range 96 West, 6th P.M.

Section 17:  E½

Section 20:  E½, NW¼, E½ SW¼

Section 23:  SW¼ SW¼

Section 27:  NE¼ NE¼, S½ NE¼, N½ SE¼, SW¼ SE¼, S½ SW¼

Section 28:  SW¼, S½ SE¼, S½ NW¼

Section 29:  NE¼, NE¼ NW¼, E½ SE¼

Section 31:  S½ NE¼, N½ SE¼

Section 32:  N½ NE¼, SW¼ NE¼, NW¼ SE¼, S½ NW¼, N½ SW¼

Section 33:  N½ NW¼, SE¼ NW¼, N½ NE¼, SW¼ NE¼

Section 34:  SE¼, E½ SW¼, SW¼ SW¼, N½ NW¼, SE¼ NW¼, NW¼ NE¼

Section 35:  SW¼ SW¼, SE¼ SE¼

Section 36:  SW¼, W½ SE/¼

 

Township 7 South, Range 96 West, 6th P.M.

Section 1:  NW¼, SE¼, S½ NE¼, NW¼ NE¼, N½ SW¼, SE¼ SW¼

Section 2:  W½, NE¼, W½ SE¼, NE¼ SE¼

Section 3:  NE¼

Section 4:  NE¼ NE¼

 

                        On August 18, 2003, the Commission issued Order Nos. 139-40, 440-25, 479-12 and 510-9, which approved the drilling of wells for the production of gas and associated hydrocarbons from the Williams Fork Formation of the Mesaverde Group at the equivalent of one (1) well per ten (10) acres, with the permitted downhole location for each new Williams Fork Formation well located anywhere within a given drilling and spacing unit but no closer than 100 feet from the boundaries of the unit without exception being granted by the Director; provided however, that as to any well within a given drilling and spacing unit of the (“Federal Application Lands”) which abutted or cornered lands that had not at the time of the drilling permit application also been approved for the drilling of Williams Fork wells at that same equivalent of one (1) well per ten acres, the well in that drilling and spacing unit could be located no closer than two hundred (200) feet from the boundary of the drilling unit without exception being granted by the Director.  The Order further provided that as to the Federal Application Lands which were unspaced, the ten (10) acre density Williams Fork Wells to be drilled thereon could be located downhole anywhere upon the lands but no closer than 100 feet from the boundaries of the lease line unless such lease line abutted or cornered lands that had not at the time of the drilling permit application also been approved for the drilling of at that same equivalent of one (1) well per ten acres, in which event the well could be drilled no closer than 200 feet from the lease line.

 

Township 6 South, Range 94 West, 6th P.M.

Section 2: S½ SW¼, NE¼ SW¼, SW¼ SE¼

Section 3: S½ S½, NE¼ SE¼, NW¼ SW¼

Section 7: SE¼

Section 8: S½

Section 9: All

Section 10: N½, SW¼, S½ SE¼

Section 11: E½, N½ NW¼, SW¼ SW¼

Section 12: W½ W½, SE¼ NW¼

Section 13: N½ NW¼

Section 16: W½ NW¼

Section 17:  N½, SE¼, N½ SW¼, SE¼ SW¼

Section 18: W½, NE¼, NE¼ SE¼

Section 19: N½, SE¼, N½ SW¼, SE¼ SW¼

Section 20: E½ NW¼, N½ NE¼

Section 21: N½ NW¼

 

Township 6 South, Range 95 West, 6th P.M.

Section 16: S½ SW¼

Section 17: SE¼ SE¼

Section 20: S½, NE¼ NE¼, S½ NE¼

Section 21: All

Section 26: NW¼, N½ SW¼

Section 27: N½, N½ S½, SE¼ SE¼

Section 28: NE¼, N½ SE¼, W½ W½

Section 29: All

Section 30: S½, NE¼, S½ NW¼

Section 31: N½, SW¼, N½ SE¼, SW¼ SE¼

Section 32: NW¼, N½ NE¼, SW¼ NE¼

Section 33: NW¼ NW¼, SE¼ NW¼

 

Township 6 South, Range 96 West, 6th P.M.

Section 19: N½, SE¼

Section 20: W½ SW¼

Section 24: SE¼

Section 25: All

Section 26: SE¼, S½ NE¼, S½ NW¼, NE¼ NW¼, SE¼ SW¼

Section 27: SE¼ SE¼

Section 29: NW¼ NW¼, N½ SW¼, SW¼ SW¼

Section 30: NE¼

Section 32: NW¼ NW¼, S½ S½

Section 33: S½ SW¼

Section 34: S½ NE¼, NE¼ NE¼

Section 35: N½, N½ S½,  SE¼ SW¼, SW¼ SE¼

Section 36: N½, E½ SE¼

 

Township 7 South, Range 96 West, 6th P.M.

Section 1: NE¼ NE¼

Section 3: S½, NW¼

Section 4: S½, NW¼, S½ NE¼, NW¼ NE¼

Section 5: SE¼

Section 8: E½

Section 9: N½

Section 10: N½, SE¼

Section 11: W½, W½ E½, SE¼ NE¼

Section 14: NE¼, W½, NW¼ SE¼

Section 15: S½, NE¼

 

Township 7 South, Range 95 West, 6th P.M.

Section 6: NW¼ NW¼

 

          On November 12, 2003, Williams Production RMT Company (“Williams”), by its attorney, filed with the Commission, a verified application for an order to amend Order Nos. 139-38, 440-23, 479-11, 495-3 and 510-8 to change the setbacks to be the same as those pertaining to the Federal Lands Application Order to allow the permitted downhole location for each new Williams Fork Formation well drilling on the Fee Application Lands to be located anywhere within a given drilling and spacing unit but no closer than 100 feet from the boundary of the drilling unit, without exception being granted by the Director, because the Fee Application Lands abut or corner the Federal Application Lands in many places.  Williams also requests that the Order be amended to allow future wells to be located as close as 100 feet from the boundary of the drilling and spacing unit within the Fee Application Lands whenever the lands abutting and cornering such Fee Application lands have been approved for the drilling of Williams Fork Well at the equivalent of one (1) well per ten acres. 

 

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that the Oil and Gas Conservation Commission of the State of Colorado, pursuant to the above, has scheduled the above-entitled matter for hearing on:

 

Date:                                        Monday, January 5, 2004

                                               

Time:                                        10:00 a.m.

 

                        Place:               Suite 801, The Chancery Building

                                                                        1120 Lincoln Street

                                                                        Denver, CO 80203

 

                        In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if any party requires special accommodations as a result of a disability for this hearing, please contact Audra Serlet at (303) 894-2100 ext. 114, prior to the hearing and arrangements will be made.

 

                        Pursuant to said hearing in the above-entitled matter at the time and place aforesaid, or at any adjourned meeting, the Commission will enter such orders as it deems appropriate to protect the health, safety and welfare of the public and to prevent the waste of oil and gas, either or both, in the operations of said field, and to carry out the purposes of the statute.

 

                        In accordance with Rule 509., any interested party desiring to protest the granting of the application or to intervene on the application should file with the Commission a written protest or intervention no later than December 22, 2003, briefly stating the basis of the protest or intervention.  Such interested party shall, at the same time, serve a copy of the protest or intervention to the person filing the application.  An original and nine (9) copies shall be filed with the Commission (Rule 503.f.).  Pursuant to Rule 503.e., if a party who has received notice under Rule 503.b. wishes to receive further pleadings in the above-referenced matter, that party must file a protest or intervention in accordance with these rules.  In accordance with the practices of the Commission, should no protests or interventions be filed in this matter by December 22, 2003, the Applicant may request that an administrative hearing be scheduled for the week of December 29, 2003.

 

                        IN THE NAME OF THE STATE OF COLORADO

 

                                                                        OIL AND GAS CONSERVATION COMMISSION

                                                                             OF THE STATE OF COLORADO

 

 

                                                                        By                                                                        

                                                                                 Patricia C. Beaver, Secretary

 

Dated at Suite 801                                             Attorney for Applicant:                           

1120 Lincoln Street                                            William A. Keefe                                   

Denver, Colorado 80203                                      Gorsuch Kirgis, LLP

December 8, 2003                                              Tower 1, Suite 1000

                        1515 Arapahoe Street

                                                Denver, CO 80202

                                                (303) 376-5000