Superior Trustees And Residents Unite To Fight Proposed Drilling

SUPERIOR, CO -- Superior residents packed Town Hall Monday night for an emergency Board of Trustees work session about a proposed fracking operation directly on the community's border. "We are unified in our opposition to this," said Mayor Clint Folsom to a room so full that some participants sat on the floor straight up to the trustees' dais.

The proposed drilling site is part of a permit pulled by Highland Natural Resources, registered in the United Kingdom, which it claimed was a bulwark against the possible passage of Proposition 112 in last week's election. That statewide measure sought to expand the setback on new drilling permits to 2,500 feet from all occupied structures, and many in the oil and gas industry claimed it posed an existential threat to their operations in Colorado.

The Superior site would be located on the border of Jefferson County to the northeast of the McCaslin Blvd. and Hwy 128 intersection. To the concern of many residents, the proposed site also borders on the Rocky Flats wildlife refuge and former nuclear weapon plant.

"This is not a Superior problem, this is a Colorado problem – and it is going to be a national problem," said one longtime resident during the public comment session.

One option that has been taken frequently by neighboring communities facing drilling proposals is to place a 6 month moratorium on drilling in the area to give the town time to formulate regulations to keep residents safe. No formal action can be taken at a work session, but Trustee Mark Lacis made his intentions on the matter clear: "I’d like to move forward with moratorium as soon as possible."

"Whatever resources you need, ask," Trustee Kevin Ryan told the town staff. "They’re going to throw some money at this... [it] has to be a priority."

Earlier in November, Highland applied to drill up to 31 wells by Rocky Flats. A post on its website cited the impending Proposition 112 vote as the reason for the application's timing, and further stated that the company intended to file permits for up to 104 wells before election day.

Superior residents have the opportunity submit comments to the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission on the proposal through Dec. 5, and the town has set up a special page on its website to keep the community informed.

"We are going to do everything we can to get to the bottom of this," said Mayor Folsom at the meeting's close. "We appreciate all the great ideas and the willingness to help."

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.

Photo credit: Shutterstock