County agrees to assist Severance process oil and gas applications

Published on June 18, 2025

The Weld County Oil and Gas Energy Department (OGED) will now assist the Town of Severance in processing applications pertaining to oil and gas development in its municipal boundary. Monday, the Weld County Board of Commissioners signed an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) with the town, making it the third municipality to utilize the OGED’s expertise in this way since the department opened in 2019.

“Agreements like this one further speak to the benefit we can provide when it comes to surface site permitting,” Weld County OGED Director Brett Cavanagh said. “We have the experience in reviewing and approving permitting, and the ability to use our process to assist a municipality saves it time and money in not having to hire extra staff to do what we do every day. This IGA benefits Severance, the town’s residents and the energy industry as a whole.”

The OGED will assist Severance by processing oil and gas drilling applications, conducting hearings related to applications, including revocation and suspension hearings if necessary, and performing regulatory inspections of a proposed surface site. OGED staff will also review applications for compliance with floodplain regulations, review drainage reports for applications with well sites and issue grading permits for oil and gas sites. Severance will ensure applications meet the town’s regulations, codes and ordinances, and decide the final approval or denial of a permit.

“It’s great to be able to assist our communities in this way,” said Kevin Ross, Weld County Commissioner Coordinator for the OGED. “It’s something we’ve done historically, and I appreciate seeing it happen again. It’s something we can do to help our municipalities, and a way we can stretch the services we provide to be even more beneficial.”

There is no cost to the county or Severance for this agreement as any costs will be covered by fees the OGED receives from regular Weld County Oil and Gas Location Assessment applications. The IGA will run through Dec. 31, 2025, then renew yearly, unless terminated by the county or Severance.

The IGA with Severance follows similar ones entered into with Evans in 2022 and Keenesburg in 2023.

Learn more about the OGED.