Colorado regulators to pursue charges against gas company after 2017 deadly house blast

Houston’s Anadarko Co. and the former Kerr McGee company it acquired are likely to face penalties from Colorado oil and gas regulators more than two years after a home explosion in Firestone killed two men.

The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission announced this week it was preparing to issue a notice of an alleged violation because an Anadarko well and its uncapped flow line were blamed for the explosion.

“We’re evaluating the actions and inactions that resulted in the Firestone incident,” said Jeff Robbins with the COGCC. “We are evaluating whether those actions or inactions resulted in the violation of our rules.”

He said the Commission’s staff will identify which rules were allegedly violated, then consider any fines and penalties. The National Transportation Safety Board ruled on Tuesday that the probable cause was gas leaking from a line running from an Anadarko well that was near the house. Reports indicted the line had been cut but was not capped as a gas tank battery was moved before a housing subdivision was built nearby.

But state regulators want to see the full report before issuing any violation against Anadarko.