Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper this past week unveiled much-anticipated recommendations on oil and gas policy changes after an explosion caused by an abandoned flowline in Firestone killed two people and injured another this past April.

Though only time can ultimately tell how the governor fared with his seven recommendations, we like what we see so far. They are in line with our state’s longstanding tradition of stringent regulation of oil and gas while addressing the issues at the heart of April’s explosion.

Strengthening the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission’s flowline regulations, prohibiting future domestic gas taps, creating a nonprofit orphan well fund to plug and abandon orphan wells and providing refunds for in-home methane monitors are just some of Hickenlooper’s proposals aimed at making the people of Colorado safer while also allowing for the energy development many local economies in the state depend on, including ours.

We especially like refunds for in-home methane monitors.

Read more at The Greeley Tribune