DENVER – La Plata County Commissioner Gwen Lachelt kicked off the first meeting of a gas and oil task force by telling the audience that she would rather put the issue before voters.
Lachelt was appointed by Gov. John Hickenlooper to co-chair the 19-member task force that could recommend additional rules and regulations governing energy development in Colorado.
“When I heard that the ballot initiatives would go away as part of this compromise agreement, I was really disappointed,” Lachelt said. “It was a monumental effort to collect the signatures required to put these initiatives on the ballot. Taking those decisions out of the hands of the people of Colorado felt, and still feels, like a real blow to the democratic process.”
Hickenlooper announced the task force in early August as part of an agreement with U.S. Rep. Jared Polis, D-Boulder, who had threatened to send gas and oil issues to the ballot.
Polis was financing at least two initiatives that would have expanded local control over gas and oil operations, as well as increased setbacks of wells.
At the heart of the issue was hydraulic fracturing, a process used in wells by mixing chemicals, sand and water to create small fractures under the ground to stimulate production of new and existing gas and oil wells.
Fears around contaminating groundwater, as well as noise and nuisance concerns, have intensified as so-called “fracking” has expanded in more densely populated parts of Colorado.
Several local governments along the Front Range enacted their own rules and regulations, or even imposed bans or moratoriums on fracking. The state and industry interest groups sued, arguing that the rules and regulations overstep the state’s authority. Those cases remain in legal limbo.
Hickenlooper would like the task force to analyze concerns and policy in order to possibly recommend legislation that would bring greater certainty. It will take a two-thirds vote by the task force over the next six months to recommend legislation to the Legislature.
“Can we get to that place where there is agreement of a path forward and a solution to what so many people seem to think is just an impassable blockage ...” Hickenlooper told task-force members during brief remarks Thursday. “I’m very optimistic, and can’t wait to see what you all will come up with in the next few months.
“Despite the differences, and I know there’s a lot of difficult negotiations ahead of you all, and a lot of difficult history, I think you guys can do it,” the governor said.
The first meeting was held at the Colorado Parks and Wildlife offices. The second meeting is scheduled for Oct. 9 in Durango.
Lachelt acknowledged the difficult task ahead, including balancing the concerns of community members and activists with the needs of the industry. The process has been political and polarizing since the beginning.
At Thursday’s meeting, a noticeable police presence lined the walls of the standing-room-only, packed hall. Co-chairman Randy Cleveland, president of XTO Energy Inc, said that there is “a lot of passion and energy around this topic.”
Lachelt has worked on gas and oil accountability in Southwest Colorado for more than 25 years, founding Earthworks’ Oil & Gas Accountability Project in 1999 and serving as director before becoming a county commissioner in the 2012 election.
“There is a lot of skepticism out there that we will fail, that this process is designed to fail,” Lachelt addressed the audience. “When I was asked to serve as co-chair, I agreed, one, because citizens would be on an equal footing with industry on this task force. I also agreed because this is a historic moment in Colorado.”
Cleveland said he hopes the task force can come together to find commonalities.
“The governor has really given us a charge to search for common ground on an issue that has proven very challenging,” he said.
Industry leaders said they are open to suggestions, but pointed out that Colorado already has standards, including requiring the disclosure of frack fluid ingredients and mandating the regulation of methane emissions.
“The current Colorado system is not broken, but rather it’s a progressive model for the nation,” said Brad Holly, vice president of operations for Anadarko Petroleum Corporation’s Rocky Mountain region. “The regulatory system has been worked and it has been reworked in the last few years, and we have some of the strictest regulations in the country.
“I come with an open mind,” he continued. “I want to listen and understand from various perspectives, I want to find solutions to actual problems and find solutions that actually mitigate those problems.”
pmarcus@durangoherald.com
