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Second Regular Session
Seventy-fifth General Assembly
STATE OF COLORADO
REREVISED
This Version Includes All Amendments
Adopted in the Second House
LLS NO. 26-0705.01 Eden Rolland x2373 HOUSE BILL 26-1303
House Committees Senate Committees
State, Civic, Military, & Veterans Affairs State, Veterans, & Military Affairs
A BILL FOR AN ACT
CONCERNING TECHNICAL CHANGES TO ENERGY AND CARBON101
MANAGEMENT STATUTES.102
Bill Summary
(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced and does
not reflect any amendments that may be subsequently adopted. If this bill
passes third reading in the house of introduction, a bill summary that
applies to the reengrossed version of this bill will be available at
http://leg.colorado.gov/.)
Statutory Revision Committee. The bill makes 2 revisions to
energy and carbon management statutes. First, the bill amends the
terminology used to describe an examination that welders working on oil
and gas process lines are required to pass to obtain certification. Current
law requires the energy and carbon management commission
(commission) to adopt rules to require certification for welders working
SENATE
3rd Reading Unamended
April 7, 2026
SENATE
2nd Reading Unamended
April 6, 2026
HOUSE
3rd Reading Unamended
March 16, 2026
HOUSE
2nd Reading Unamended
March 13, 2026
HOUSE SPONSORSHIP
Bradley and Carter, Espenoza, Duran, Phillips
SENATE SPONSORSHIP
Ball and Catlin, Exum, Rich, Coleman
Shading denotes HOUSE amendment. Double underlining denotes SENATE amendment.
Capital letters or bold & italic numbers indicate new material to be added to existing law.
Dashes through the words or numbers indicate deletions from existing law.
on oil and gas process lines, including rules that require passing an exam.
Current law refers to the exam as "the International Code Council Exam
F31, national standard journeyman mechanical, or an analogous successor
exam" (F31 exam). The F31 exam is not applicable to welders. The bill
changes the reference to instead refer to certain other examinations that
are applicable to welders in the oil and gas industry.
Second, in certain instances, the bill changes "oil and gas
operations" to "energy and carbon management operations" to ensure
uniformity of terminology and to align statutory references to
"operations" to those operations that are within the scope of the
commission's regulatory authority.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Colorado:1
SECTION 1. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 34-60-106, amend2
(20)(d)(III) as follows:3
34-60-106. Additional powers of commission - fees - rules -4
definitions - repeal.5
(20) The commission shall adopt rules to require certification for6
workers in the following fields:7
(d) Welders working on oil and gas process lines, including:8
(III) Passage of the International Code Council Exam F31,9
national standard journeyman mechanical, or an analogous successor10
exam, For any person working on pressurized process lines in upstream11
and midstream operations, PASSAGE OF:12
(A) T HE AMERICAN PETROLEUM INSTITUTE STANDARD 1104,13
WELDING OF PIPELINES AND RELATED FACILITIES, OR AN ANALOGOUS14
SUCCESSOR CERTIFICATION;15
(B) T HE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERS16
SECTION IX, WELDING, BRAZING, AND FUSING QUALIFICATIONS, OR AN17
ANALOGOUS SUCCESSOR QUALIFICATION; OR18
(C) A NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED EXAMINATION, CERTIFICATION,19
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OR QUALIFICATION , OTHER THAN THOSE SPECIFIED IN SUBSECTIONS1
(20)(d)(III)(A) AND (20)(d)(III)(B) OF THIS SECTION, THAT IS APPLICABLE2
FOR THE CERTIFICATION OF WELDERS WORKING ON OIL AND GAS PROCESS3
LINES.4
SECTION 2. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 34-60-121, amend5
(6), (7)(b), and (7)(c) as follows:6
34-60-121. Violations - investigations - penalties - rules -7
definition - legislative declaration.8
(6) If the commission determines, after a hearing conducted in9
accordance with section 34-60-108, that an energy and carbon10
management operator has failed to perform any corrective action imposed11
under subsection (4) of this section or failed to comply with a12
cease-and-desist order issued under subsection (5) of this section, the13
commission may issue an order suspending, modifying, or revoking the14
operator's permit or permits or suspending or revoking the operator's15
license to conduct oil and gas ENERGY AND CARBON MANAGEMENT16
operations or may take other appropriate action. An energy and carbon17
management operator subject to an order that suspends, modifies, or18
revokes a permit or that suspends or revokes the operator's license to19
conduct oil and gas ENERGY AND CARBON MANAGEMENT operations shall20
continue the affected operations only for the purpose of bringing the21
affected operations into compliance with the permit or modified permit22
and must bring the affected operations into compliance under the23
supervision of the commission. Once the affected operations are in24
compliance to the satisfaction of the commission and any penalty not25
subject to judicial review or appeal has been paid, the commission may26
reinstate the permit or the license to conduct oil and gas ENERGY AND27
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CARBON MANAGEMENT operations.1
(7) (b) If the commission finds, after the hearing conducted2
pursuant to subsection (7)(a) of this section, that the energy and carbon3
management operator is responsible under the legal standards specified4
in subsection (7)(a) of this section, the commission may issue an order5
that prohibits the issuance of any new permits to the energy and carbon6
management operator, suspends any or all of the energy and carbon7
management operator's certificates of clearance, suspends the operator's8
license to conduct oil and gas ENERGY AND CARBON MANAGEMENT9
operations, or any combination of the three. If the energy and carbon10
management operator demonstrates to the satisfaction of the commission11
that the operator has brought each of the violations into compliance and12
that any penalty not subject to judicial review or appeal has been paid, the13
commission may vacate the order.14
(c) In a hearing conducted pursuant to this subsection (7), the15
commission may consider as evidence violations for which enforcement16
was commenced prior to May 16, 2024, in determining whether to17
prohibit the issuance of any new permits to the operator, suspend any or18
all of the operator's certificates of clearance, suspend the operator's19
license to conduct oil and gas ENERGY AND CARBON MANAGEMENT20
operations, or any combination of the three.21
SECTION 3. Act subject to petition - effective date. This act22
takes effect at 12:01 a.m. on the day following the expiration of the23
ninety-day period after final adjournment of the general assembly (August24
12, 2026, if adjournment sine die is on May 13, 2026); ex cept that, if a25
referendum petition is filed pursuant to section 1 (3) of article V of the26
state constitution against this act or an item, section, or part of this act27
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within such period, then the act, item, section, or part will not take effect1
unless approved by the people at the general election to be held in2
November 2026 and, in such case, will take effect on the date of the3
official declaration of the vote thereon by the governor.4
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