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 Ima

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