COAL CREEK, Colo. (KOAA) — A month ago, a local rancher, Kerri Higgs, lost more than a dozen cows because of the mysterious deaths.
Higgs says 15 of her cows died on the same day.
Despite the rancher's effort to find the cause, multiple test results still leave her no answers as to why her cattle died.
Higgs says she smelled the gas in the pasture where her cows died. She says she contacted the Colorado Energy and Carbon Management Commission (ECMC).
The ECMC says an Environmental Protection Specialist inspected the Rainbow 23-20 oil and gas location on May 15, 2025. It states that no environmental samples were collected at that time.
On June 2, 2025, in response to Higgs' request, the ECMC's drone inspector checked the gas in the area on Monday. The inspector used the Optical Gas Imaging (OGI) drone that flew over the property where the cows died.
The ECMC released the inspection results. It stated that no sources of Methane gas were observed and no alarms were triggered on employees' personal four-gas monitors during May 15 and June 2 inspections.
The state agency says it has not identified any environmental conditions that would likely be the cause of the cattle's deaths. It has requested additional samples to be collected in the area where cattle usually gather.
The Colorado Department of Agriculture and the Colorado Department of Public Health have been notified to find any other evidence for future investigations.
Higgs tells News5 that the Colorado State University lab will be testing samples from the rumen for noxious weeds that the cows may have eaten.
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