Consultants from two third-party agencies submitted false data reports to regulators on behalf of oil and gas clients for three years, the regulatory agency said.
WELD COUNTY, Colo. — Over three years, two environmental consultants hired by oil and gas operators submitted falsified laboratory data reports to the Colorado agency in charge of regulating that industry.
The Energy and Carbon Management Commission (ECMC) announced the data integrity issue at a public hearing Tuesday, where the commission shared that the data manipulation affected soil, groundwater, and inorganic and organic contaminant data for about 350 oil and gas locations in Weld County.
Weld County is responsible for 82% of the state’s oil production and 56% of its gas production, according to the county’s Oil and Gas Energy Department.
The ECMC said the data falsification occurred between 2021 and summer 2024, but it first became aware of the issue on a smaller scale …