Summit County Citizens Voice

Who controls drilling impacts?

Panel’s recommendations don’t address specific community concerns about impacts to water, air quality

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — A Colorado task force charged with addressing growing local concerns over oil and gas drilling this week wrapped up its work with plenty of vague and general language about collaboration, but with few specific recommendations to directly address the difficult questions of whether the state or local entities should regulate impacts to air quality and water.

Gov. John Hickenlooper ordered formation of the task force in part to try and forestall legislative action that would clarify who has the authority to regulate oil and gas drilling.

According to a draft task force summary, the members agreed “that coordinated regulation through a collaborative approach was more desirable than duplicative or conflicting rules within or across local jurisdictions.”

The conservation community reacted cautiously.

“The fundamental goal of Colorado Conservation Voters in participating in the Governor’s Taskforce was to reinforce protections for our air, water, land and public health from the heavy industrial activity of oil and gas development,” Colorado Conservation Voter director Pete Maysmith said in statement. (more…)

Filed under: Colorado, Environment, gas drilling, oil drilling | Tagged: Colorado, Colorado Conservation Voter, John Hickenlooper, oil and gas drilling, oil and gas drilling task force | 6 Comments »