Updated by Staff

GLENWOOD SPRINGS  — One of Colorado’s top gas-producing counties is asking state regulators to take another look at a consultant’s concerns about drilling in an area where natural gas from a well seeped into a creek in western Colorado.

Garfield County’s oil and gas liaison, Judy Jordon, argues that  the state, in the form of the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, is more interested in discrediting consultant and geologist, Geoffrey Thyne, than resolving issues around drilling in the West Divide Creek area south of Silt.

Several years ago COGCC  fined EnCana Oil & Gas (USA) Inc. $371,200 after concluding that the cement casing  of a well in the area failed, allowing gas to flow into the creek.

Thyne has questioned whether repairs to the EnCana well stopped the seep and whether it was even limited to one well. Oil and gas commission staff say residual gas from the 2004 seep is just taking time to surface.

In a recent memo to the county commissioners, Jordan wrote in a memo to the county commissioners that state regulators “arranged for a multiparty attack,” including from the industry, on Thyne’s work at a hearing last summer. Jordon contends that regulators should have met with Thyne and the county to discuss their differing views.

The director of the COGCC, Dave Neslin, denied the hearing was an attack on the geologist’s work.

“I would characterize that as an appropriate public proceeding to evaluate this issue, not an organized attack,” Neslin said. He added that the commission will consider any requests from the county for “additional study or consideration.”

Garfield tops the list of counties this year in the number of drilling permits issued with more than 1,000 as of earlier this month.