Fracking Could Be Subject To Local Limits Under Proposed Bill

BOULDER, CO -- A bill heading toward the state legislature as early as today seeks to give Boulder County governments power that they have coveted for more than a decade: local authority over oil and gas drilling. The Longmont Times-Call reports that House Speaker KC Becker, D-Boulder, and Senate Majority Leader Stephen Fenberg, D-Boulder, plan to introduce the bill in their respective chambers, action announced at Thursday news conference at the state Capitol.

The bill would also modify the authority of the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission by changing the description of its duties from "fostering" the development of oil and gas to "regulating" it, and would force the commission give heavier weight to potential threats to public health, safety and the environment when considering new drilling proposals, the Times-Call reports. It would make it more difficult for oil and gas companies to use forced pooling to gain access to minerals in drilling projects if the mineral owners decline to take part of their own accord.

"In the past, localities have tried to play the best hand based on the cards they were dealt," state Sen. Mike Foote, D-Lafayette, told the Times-Call. "Some were trying to push it and do what they could under current case law and (state) law. If this bill were passed, they would have another set of cards to play. They may not cut and paste regulations (from the past), because they have a new starting point."

Erin Martinez, whose husband and brother were killed in a 2017 home explosion in Firestone caused by a leaky oil and gas flowline, made a rare public appearance to advocate for the bill's passage, the Times-Call reports.

"I'm here to support change that will hopefully keep this from ever happening again," Martinez said at the news conference. "No one should have to experience what my family has gone through the past two years. ... I understand no one ever intended this to happen. I have no desire to destroy an industry. However, with great tragedy should also come great change."

Get more from the Times-Call on this topic:

Read about the press conference here.

Read more about local government reactions here.

Do you like this article? Join the Boulder Patch on Facebook! Stay in touch with the news and events that shape Boulder County. Sign up for your free Patch newsletter here.