Colorado gives local officials a say on big, new oil and gas sites near homes

The nine-member Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission in a series of votes late Monday approved new rules aimed at increasing communication between energy companies and local governments to mitigate the effects of large-scale oil and gas operations in and around neighborhoods.

Monday’s votes ended nearly 18 months of public meetings on the impacts of oil and gas operations in communities, months that included the 21 members of Gov. John Hickenlooper’s oil and gas task force hammering…