The Colorado Energy and Carbon Management Commission will investigate reports for about 350 oil and gas sites that the commission said were falsified by two environmental consulting groups hired by Weld County operators.

The commission announced the discovery of the falsified records on Tuesday.

The commission says that Eagle Environmental Consulting, Inc. and Tasman Geosciences submitted falsified laboratory data on behalf of Chevron, Civitas Resources Inc. and Occidental Petroleum Corp. The data manipulation involved readings for soil, groundwater, inorganic and organic contamination between 2021 and 2024, according to the commission.

Tasman Geosciences spokesman Andy Boian clarified that of those 350 sites, only 74 belong to the Tasman. Boian also confirmed that the employee who was responsible for the forgery is no longer with the company, which has almost completed an audit of its reports. The company expects to be in full compliance with the state by the end of the year.

“Once we learned of the false reports, we immediately self-reported to the state,” Boian said. “Also, when we learned of this, we immediately parted ways with the employee responsible.”

Eagle Environmental Consulting, Inc. could not be reached for comment.

So far, the falsified data has only been found to exist in reports submitted for on-site investigations and remedial work plans, which happen when an oil and gas site is shut down. When a job site is closed after production has ended, the state requires a thorough investigation to determine if leaks occurred during the job site.

“Oil and gas has some of the most stringent regulations of any state,” Brett Cavanagh, Weld Oil and Gas’ director of energy, said this week.

The commission was first notified of a possible falsification in July. The Commission did not act until September after receiving another notification from an operator. In early October, operators disclosed the problem to the commission, which then launched a formal investigation after realizing the massive scale of the problem.

“This is an abnormal and disappointing situation. Maintaining the integrity of the data on which the ECMC bases its decisions is critical,” Julie Murphy, director of the Energy and Carbon Management Commission, said in a statement. “Our authorization, compliance and enforcement procedures – including the submission of reports, data and samples by operators – are based on the expectation that all parties comply with the law and follow a basic professional and ethical code of conduct.”

Since the official launch of the investigation in October, spill investigations or cleanups have been conducted at approximately 4,700 locations in Weld County, which is nearly one-third of all locations in the county. Investigators are currently focusing on mitigating the impact on soil and groundwater, but the commission is confident the falsified data has not created new risks to public health.

“Our team is dedicated to protecting public health, safety and welfare and the environment and wildlife resources,” Murphy said. “We hold operators accountable for the work of their contractors, and I appreciate their self-reporting and cooperation to date.”

The investigation is ongoing. The outcome will determine whether operators face enforcement action and fines. The Commission has added new safeguards to prevent counterfeiting, such as additional documentation and further scrutiny of job metadata.

The Colorado Energy and Carbon Management Commission is cooperating with law enforcement given the extent of the alleged fraud. No criminal penalties have been announced at this time, but an announcement will be made once the investigation is complete.

“I am disappointed by the actions of a few consultants to oil and gas operators that have undermined the industry’s ability to meet its regulatory obligations,” said Colorado Department of Natural Resources Executive Director Dan Gibbs. “I have full confidence in the leadership and staff of the Energy and Carbon Management Commission to investigate this fraud and take appropriate enforcement action, as well as work with appropriate law enforcement.”