County attorney authorized to engage oil‑and‑gas counsel for Efetha well and PRM matter

Routt County commissioners authorized the county attorney on July 22 to sign an engagement letter with Matthew Sura LLC, an outside law firm that specializes in oil‑and‑gas matters, to handle two immediate issues: a failed bradenhead test at the Efetha oil well and an application filed by Petroleum Resources Management (PRM) with the Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (or the county’s referenced regulatory body). County counsel said the Efetha well failure may require legal action to enforce county orders and that the PRM application prompted a desire to submit comments on behalf of the county. The county attorney noted the engagements are expected to be under the county’s normal professional‑services thresholds and that the work likely will remain under the county’s $20,000 internal threshold; commissioners approved authorization to sign the engagement letter. The county attorney and commissioners discussed budget treatment and whether the county could recover attorneys’ fees through litigation; counsel said recovery is possible in certain contexts but not guaranteed. The board approved the engagement by motion and voice vote; staff will rely on the contract and invoicing procedures in the county attorney’s office and will provide updates as matters proceed.