A pipe will be laid underground to distribute oil more efficiently than the current practice of trucking it to it's destination. At a study session Monday, city council members voted 6-4 to essentially back oil industry interests, partially in reaction to new state regulations. The vote was not binding and will be subject to amendments when it goes to the council floor for first reading on Nov. 24. (Marla R. Keown/Aurora Sentinel)

AURORA | Aurora City Council members will be interviewing seven citizens and five industry representatives who have applied to be on its newest oil and gas committee.

Aurora has had an informal oil and gas committee since 2012 but in September agreed to change its structure amid protests from east Aurora residents over the potential for more fracking near their homes.

The new oil and gas committee, which starts meeting next year, will consist of a special group of residents, industry officials and other stakeholders to mull and advise the city council on oil-and-gas-related matters affecting Aurora and have an educational forum on O&G industry activity in the city.

The committee will include five residents appointed by council, of which two will come from “the areas most affected by oil and gas” drilling in Aurora. The committee will also include three industry representatives from companies registered with the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC), and three surface or property owners in Aurora who hold mineral rights.

Nine residents applied for one of the five available citizen positions on the new committee. Out of those nine, city council voted to interview seven people: John Dougherty, Darrell Eurich, Susan McClain, Polly Page, Joshua Reddell, Sandra June Whitcomb and Nicole Johnston.

Nine people applied for three industry seats on the committee. Council voted to interview five of those individuals: Maxwell Blair with ConocoPhillips, Anne Carto of the Colorado Oil & Gas Association, Gregory Guyer of Halliburton, Phillip Holmes with Anadarko, and James Rogers.

Only three surface or property owners applied for the three seats. Those individuals who will be appointed to the new committee are Marc Cooper, Chad Polak and Bruce Rau.

Aurora City Council will conduct final interviews for the seats later this month.

The panel is only advisory, and city council will still decide whatever issues on drilling and fracking it can not reserved by the state.

The terms for each of the committee appointments will be three years, and members will be limited to a maximum of three consecutive terms.

The desire for an oil and gas committee grew as the debate over energy exploration across Colorado has grown in recent years, with large increases in the amount of drilling over the past three years.