A proposal on the upcoming November ballot addresses the inherent risks associated with fracking operations by requiring increased setbacks: From 500 feet to 2,500 feet.
The law does not seek a ban, rather a commonsense set of regulations that will address the health and safety of Colorado citizens and our environment.
Since the explosion at Firestone, where two people died and one was injured in their home, there have been 14 more fires and explosions in Colorado.
In Windsor in 2017, a worker was injured and it took hundreds of thousands of gallons of water to extinguish the firestorm.
Health risks are especially high for people living within 0.1 miles of a well, and according to peer-reviewed studies, those folks have eight times the normal cancer risk and a fourfold increased risk of leukemia.
The oil and gas industry consumes upwards of 4.6 billion gallons of fresh water yearly in Colorado.
About half of that is permanently contaminated with toxic fracking chemicals and radioactive materials dredged up from the depths of the wells.
Boom-and-bust economies cannot compete with a healthy, sustainable economy.
The continued health of our region can grow a sustainable economy given our assets: unique wildlands and waters, hunting and fishing, hiking and biking, and alternative energy opportunities, plus our strong local food, agricultural and tourism base.
Please watch for Prop 112 and vote YES for a commonsense approach to resource extraction in Colorado.
Bettyann Kolner
Dolores
