Today, I stood with Governor Hickenlooper and announced several solid steps forward to deal with the impacts of oil and gas on local communities in the 2nd Congressional district and across our state. My constituents have been vocal in their concerns of oil and gas development taking place too close to where they live work and play- I have heard their call and done everything in my power to bring their legitimate concerns forward. In 2011 I visited with concerned parents in Erie who were distressed over plans to locate several fracking rigs next to Red Hawk Elementary School. They asked for my help, and I immediately called upon the operators to reconsider the location of those wells. For weeks I sent letters, I had conference calls with oil and gas executives and I pleaded with them to not move forward with these ill advised plans to place fracking rigs dangerously close to childrens elementary school. In the end my pleas and the pleas of these concerned parents for reasonable setbacks from their kids elementary school fell on deaf ears. I told those parents and my constituents that I would not give up the fight, that I would continue pushing for responsible regulations that protect them and I have devoted a considerable amount of my time doing just that ever since. I believe todays announcement is a victory for the people of Colorado and the movement to enact sensible fracking regulations. I know for many todays announcement will not go far enough, but I believe its just the beginning of next chapter. For the first time in this fight, citizens will have a seat at the negotiating table. They will be able to negotiate directly to protect their property rights, homes values, clean water, and air quality with the oil and gas industry. The Task Force will be co-chaired by La Plata County Commissioner Gwen Lachelt who began her career as a community organizer in Durango for Western Colorado Congress, then went on to found Earthworks Oil & Gas Accountability Project. Gwen now serves as a County Commissioner for La Plata County and has experienced first hand the challenges of the current laws as it pertains to local control of oil and gas. I am thrilled that in an act of good faith the Governor has called upon the COGCC to dismiss the pending lawsuit against Longmont. The Governor has reiterated his commitment to enforcing all current laws and regulations, including a setback rule that states that operators must make every effort to place wells at least 1,000 ft from occupied structures. These immediate steps give me great hope that together we will forge a solution that works for all of Colorado. Given my renewed hope that my constituents will be able to shape the statewide fracking policy through the legislative process as soon as the next legislative session, I am withdrawing my financial support for the proposed ballot initiatives. To be clear, I am not giving up this fight, I will continue to push for greater health and safety for my constituents through every avenue available to me. My sincere hope is that the legislature will heed the concerns of thousands of Coloradans that have demanded reasonable safeguards from oil and gas development. I want to thank all the community organizers that have worked tirelessly to bring their concerns to the forefront and have demanded action on this important issue. There is still a great amount of work to be done, but today represents real progress.
Posted on: Mon, 04 Aug 2014 18:06:40 +0000
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