Erie Approves Fracking Moratorium

CBSLocal.com

March 7th 2012

ERIE, Colo. (CBS4)- Erie’s Board of Trustees on Wednesday approved a moratorium that prevents new permits for gas and oil companies for 180 days.

A group of concerned parents are trying to educate the public about the potential danger of fracking near two schools. The group fought for the temporary hold on the process until it is deemed safe.

Fracking between the two schools, Erie Elementary School and Red Hawk Middle School, was slated to begin this summer.

“We continue to get more and more emails, more concerned momsand dads,” said Erie Rising spokeswoman Jennifer Palazzolo.

Erie Rising is a group made up of concerned parents trying to raise awareness about fracking. Three of the largest oil and gas companies are operating in the town of Erie.

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Fracking Sites - Open to the public? [VIDEO]

NOAA Air Study Data - Erie Colorado

Colorado Govenor Hickenlooper issues executive order on fracking

FOX31
2/29/2012

DENVER — Gov. John Hickenlooper, already having irked Colorado environmentalists this week for voicing a radio ad in favor of hydraulic fracturing on behalf of the state’s oil and gas industry, issued an executive order Wednesday afternoon creating a task force to determine whether the state or local cities and counties have control over fracking operations in the state.

“This is an important step to better define state and local jurisdiction regulatory structures as Colorado’s oil and gas industry continues to grow,” Hickenlooper said in a statement.

“We want to protect public health, the environment and wildlife and to avoid duplication and conflict between different regulations of oil and gas activities. We expect these efforts to also help foster a climate that encourages responsible development and enhances existing cooperation and coordination between state and local government.”

The order comes after the town of Erie voted Tuesday night to draft an emergency 180-day moratorium on fracking, a common process used by oil and gas companies to loosen mineral reserves for extraction by shooting a mix of water, sand and chemicals more than mile beneath the surface.

The town had rejected a moratorium proposal a month ago, but reversed course based largely on a report last week from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that showed levels of propane — a chemical used in fracking — 10 times higher in Erie than in other cities.

Environmentalists have long argued that fracking is contaminating groundwater and causing health problems for people living nearby.

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Get a clue Governor, your statements appear wrong in that, that this rogue oil and gas industry is not causing groundwater contaminations, air quality degradation etc... 

OVERTURN THE FEDERAL EXEMPTIONS THE INDUSTRY DOESN'T HAVE TO ABIDE BY AND LET'S SEE IF THE INDUSTRY CAN OPERATE! 

Enough already!

Erie trustees vote to draft emergency fracking moratorium

Daily Camera
2/28/2012
By  John Aquilar


NOAA air pollution study serves as prime catalyst for board's change of heart

ERIE -- In a dramatic turnaround late Tuesday evening, Erie trustees unanimously voted to craft an emergency ordinance to temporarily ban new gas drilling permits from being filed with the town.

The ordinance will come before the town's elected leaders at their next meeting, on March 13, and, if voted on as an emergency ordinance, would require six votes to pass. It would go into effect immediately and last 180 days.

If it passes, Erie would join Longmont and Boulder County in imposing a moratorium on new drilling operations.

Mayor Pro Tem Cheryl Hauger brought the motion to the table late in the evening, saying that a study by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that came to light last week showing that levels of propane -- a pollutant associated with oil and gas drilling and production -- are 10 times higher in Erie than they are in cities such as Houston and Los Angeles was instrumental in prompting her to give a moratorium another try.

Just last month, the board voted against imposing a moratorium.

Several trustees mentioned the NOAA study as a primary reason for changing their opinion on the safety of drilling and hydraulic fracturing, an extraction process known as fracking that uses a sand-water-chemical mix to loosen gas from underground rock.

Trustee Ronda Grassi said that a moratorium would provide time for the town to work out issues with oil and gas operators in Erie, though she cautioned it wouldn't stop companies already drilling and fracking here. She said Erie doesn't currently have an application for a drilling permit in front of it.

"A moratorium won't change one thing today -- they are allowed to drill in our community and they won't stop,"

she said.

The town is in the midst of drafting a set of rules drilling operators would be expected to follow, including air and water monitoring, larger wellhead setbacks and noise, light and dust mitigation. Gas drilling is regulated by the state and municipalities are limited in what they can control operationally.

Trustee Joe Carnival said...

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