It’s no surprise that Colorado residents are going to do what state lawmakers can’t when it comes to regulating fracking.
A new Colorado group announced this week it would try to put a measure on the state ballot banning fracking across the entire state. Coloradans Against Fracking, a new group, made their announcement outside a room where state officials are trying to figure out how to meld environment and industry concerns. They’ve since backed off the message that a ballot measure is imminent, but if this group doesn’t force a statewide question know, another group will likely take up the charge. The measure to ban fracking would be premature, and it’s a question important to Aurora right now.
While Colorado’s oil and gas fracking controversy had previously been relegated as a sort of statewide jobs thing and an issue for the Western Slope, it’s a issue in Aurora’s backyard now.
The problem isn’t with oil and gas companies drilling and fracking to force natural gas and so-so crude oil from Aurora acreage, the problem is the tug-of-war between state and local officials over who calls the shots on drilling and fracking regulations and details.
Oil companies of course want more lenient requirements for mitigating noise, appearance and environmental concerns, especially given the falling price of oil and in some cases, natural gas. More than anything, though, they want consistency and predictability in rules for how far drill rigs need to be from homes or how tall equipment can be. That way, potential wells can be graded for profitability based on the market price of petroleum.
Wells are commonly 8,000 feet deep before going horizontal for a mile or more across an oil-bearing strata. State officials are tugged between oil industry interests — trying to make extraction easier and cheaper, especially in light of a recent drop in crude oil prices — and residents backed by local governments that want more control and oversight to keep rigs as far away from homes as possible.
The problem with statewide regulations, however, is that Colorado’s environment and communities are about as diverse as they come. What makes sense in the wilds of the Western Slope valley doesn’t make sense less than a quarter mile from a bustling Aurora neighborhood.
Many have implored state lawmakers previously to provide for common-sense local oversight and money to monitor operations, but political leaders seem intent on keeping total control and oversight.
Time’s up, Colorado lawmakers. If you want to preserve the state’s valuable oil and gas industry, it’s time to offer something better than turning off the industry completely. A timely and worthy response from Gov. John Hickenlooper’s task force could take the wind out of this new group’s sails, and prevent an election altogether. But we won’t know until something concrete is offered. The time for that is now.
No kidding.
You just imagine what a ballot issue would do.