Frances Xavier Cabrini Day Office Closures
Colorado Parks and Wildlife offices, including park visitor centers, will be closed for the state holiday, Monday, Oct. 6. Some offices may have limited operations for the hunting season. Call ahead and plan accordingly.
Wildlife guzzler installation in CPW’s Southwest Region.
About the Grants
The Oil and Gas Compensatory Mitigation Grant helps cover the costs associated with implementing perpetual private land conservation easements held by a third-party land trust. This program may also consider CPW fee-title and CPW-held conservation easement purchases, depending on the program’s priorities and the amount of funding available. The amount of funding available fluctuates based on oil and gas permitting activity and CPW’s continual deployment of mitigation projects. As a result, CPW cannot guarantee a minimum or maximum amount of available funds, but will make decisions and give awards in the best interests of the State.
Hazardous fence removal project in CPW’s Northwest Region
Funding for this grant comes from fees that CPW collects from oil and gas operators. The Colorado Energy and Carbon Management Commission (ECMC) established new oil and gas regulations in 2020 to meet the requirements of Senate Bill 19-181. These regulations include “mandatory compensatory mitigation” for new oil and gas development occurring within a subset of CPW-mapped high priority habitats (HPH). Oil and gas operators may elect to pay a fee to CPW to meet their compensatory mitigation obligations when permitting new oil and gas disturbance. CPW uses these fees to implement wildlife habitat conservation, restoration and uplift projects, including this grant, to offset the unavoidable adverse impacts associated with oil and gas development activities.
Before compiling your application, please check the region-specific requirements for your project.
There are currently no SB-181 compensatory mitigation funds available in CPW’s Southeast Region. This will be updated once funding is available within this region.
Applications can be submitted at any time and will be reviewed by CPW’s Regional and Statewide SB-181 Compensatory Mitigation Advisory Committees on a bi-annual basis. Decisions on funding will typically be made in February (for applications received between August 1 and January 31) and August (for applications received between February 1 and July 31) of each year (see grant timeline table). CPW reserves the right to review applications and make award decisions outside of these windows.
Please email your completed application worksheet and other supporting documentation to the corresponding CPW Regional Energy Liaison listed below, with the subject line: “SB-181 Mitigation Grant Application - (DATE OF SUBMISSION)”
Grant money will typically be awarded as a reimbursement following successful closing of the conservation easement. Successful applicants must provide copies of closing documents and an itemized list of transaction costs (e.g., appraisals, mineral reports, surveys, closing costs, etc.) that grant funding is being used for. Additional items (e.g., W-9 and insurance information) may be requested in order to process payment. CPW makes payments through the State’s centralized accounting system. Applicants are encouraged to register in Colorado VSS to become payees in the State system. Applicants are also encouraged to consider signing up for ACH/EFT payments. ACH/EFT payments provide the advantage of ensuring quick and secure payments for the goods and services that contractors provide to the State. ACH/EFT payments help avoid delays in mail and the possibility of lost warrants, which will further delay payment. DNR’s goal is to pay contractors as soon as possible — signing up for the ACH/EFT is an important step in making this happen. For additional information about signing up for ACH/EFT payments, please contact the Regional CPW Energy Liaison listed below.
Successful applicants must submit a copy of the conservation easement’s annual monitoring report to CPW’s Regional Energy Liaison by January 1st every year following project completion.
Application Submission Period
Expected Reward Decision
February 1st and July 31st
August
August 1st and January 31st
February
Please email any questions about the Oil and Gas Compensatory Mitigation grants to:
