Governor John Hickenlooper (D. CO) has one question to answer:
http://blogs.denverpost.com/...
What the frack?!?
It’s the question several B and C-list celebrities offer up in a new web advertisement targeting Gov. John Hickenlooper for his support of the controversial oil and gas drilling practice known as fracking.
The celebrities, who span from Lance Bass to Hayden Panettiere and Wilmer Valderrama, urge Hickenlooper to “ban fracking.”
But Hickenlooper, a Democrat, is not alone. Sponsored by Americans Against Fracking, the 30-second spots also target other Democrats, including New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, California Gov. Jerry Brown and President Barack Obama. - Denver Post, 11/19/13
Here's details about Hickenlooper's plan:
http://blogs.denverpost.com/...
With more than 51,000 wells statewide, the oil and gas industry has become Colorado's largest source of toxic pollutants called volatile organic compounds, as well as the greenhouse gas methane, linked to climate change, and hazardous chemicals including cancer-causing benzene. While state-backed modeling has found that pollution from vehicles is declining, the oil and gas industry is booming and smog in both urban and rural areas is on the rise.
Colorado's proposed rules would regulate methane and require companies to inspect monthly to detect leaks and repair them within 15 days. Companies could not vent methane into the atmosphere — except in emergencies. Overall, companies would have to capture 95 percent of emissions from storage tanks, wells and other facilities.
State commissioners unanimously approved a process, with hearings set for February, to finalize rules. Anybody wanting to submit alternative rules must do so by Dec. 19, commission chairman John Loewy said. Those seeking party status, which gives greater influence at the hearings, must request that by Dec. 13. - Denver Post, 11/22/13
Hickenlopper recently discussed fracking with the National Journal:
http://www.nationaljournal.com/...
What does the fracking debate in Colorado bode for the rest of the country?
I think that we are a harbinger of what's going to happen across the country, and that's partly why we've really put our shoulder to the wheel trying to create a very robust regulatory environment.
Colorado is not the only state dealing with these issues. In different ways, Wyoming, Utah, and Texas all have strong regulatory frameworks. One of the things we've talked about—there's no consensus yet—is to get all of our state regulatory leaders together and say: "Would we be willing to compromise as states and create a Western regulatory framework?"—which obviously would have a lot of benefits if we got there.
You've described the split-estate issue as "regrettable." What, if anything, can or should be done on this issue?
That horse is out of the barn. At this point, all these people own those mineral rights. We looked at just a few places like Longmont, the town we're in lawsuit with, the holdings of the mineral rights owners are immense. There's a lot of revenue there—tens of millions of dollars just around Longmont. To try and revise the split-estate would require an unbelievable amount of capital.
How do you react to the so-called "fractivists" who oppose all fossil-fuel development?
You have to listen to them. I spent 16 years in the restaurant business. One thing you learn there is when someone is upset, you don't ignore them, you don't try to diminish them.
We don't all use Encyclopedia Britannica anymore. People have all these different facts from all different directions, and it's becoming—it's not talked about—but it's becoming one of the key issues of public policy: Where do get your facts?
Does climate change concern you?
Oh yeah, absolutely. I try to avoid the fight over how bad is it, is the sky falling, how much of it is mankind's fault, because I think there is so much white noise in the data and such heated opinions you don't get very far.
Even if we're not convinced it is going to happen, the very fact is so many of our scientists—95 percent of top scientists—feel that it is happening very rapidly, and it is the result of human activity. But even if it was only 50/50, I still think we should be sending much more money than we are into better installations, more fuel-efficient cars, getting more natural-gas vehicles instead of refining crude oil, all of these things. Most of them don't cost that much money. - National Journal, 11/21/13
If you would like to get more information, you can contact the governor's office here:
http://www.colorado.gov/...
If you'd like to get involved with Americans Against Fracking, you can do so here:
http://www.americansagainstfracking.org/