The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission honored five natural gas companies working in Garfield County earlier this month.

The COGCC, which regulates the state’s oil and gas industry, gave Williams Production RMT, EnCana Oil and Gas (USA), Laramie II, Noble Energy and PetroHunter Energy Corp. the Community Relations Award for the companies’ efforts with the Community Counts program.

Community Counts works to reduce industry impacts to local communities and to provide better communications regarding issues of noise, traffic, dust, odors and speeding, according to the COGCC. They do that by installing signs at several Garfield County locations, telling residents to call them about any problems. All of them work hard to properly send the complaint to the appropriate company, according to the COGCC.

The Community Counts program has received phone reports of traffic problems and diesel spills on the roads, complaints that have been “remedied within hours,” a statement prepared by the COGCC said.

EnCana, one of the largest operators in Garfield County, was also recognized with an Environmental Protection Award and the Production Partner of the Year award from the U.S. EPA Natural GasStar Program. That program “encourages companies to adopt cost-effective technologies and practices that improve operation efficiency and reduce emissions of methane,” according to the COGCC.

The COGCC also recognized Chevron North America with a Water Quality Protection Award for initiating “a novel method of erosion control on a well site in La Plata County. The company incorporated a historical reserve pit as part of Chevron’s storm water management plan for an existing well site, the agency said.