Colorado House Bill 1355 is currently being contested, which would displace the state as the ultimate authority on oil and gas drilling and give crucial authority over oil and gas facilities to local governments.
The Denver Post published an article discussing the proposal’s likely real-world effects. “While officials in most Colorado cities and towns would seek responsible accommodation with the energy industry if they had final say in all siting decisions — indeed, most already do this — a few clearly would not choose such a course.”
“The Colorado Supreme Court is [also] poised to rule on Longmont’s ban on hydraulic fracturing and Fort Collins’ five-year moratorium on the technology, for which the justices heard oral arguments in December. The court could simply declare the actions of those cities illegal in light of its previous rulings, and leave it at that. But it is also possible the court could elaborate on what aspects of land-use authority home-rule cities retain, or even reverse course and support Longmont and Fort Collins.”
It would be a surprise and a huge disappointment for the industry if the courts allow this bill to be passed and support the actions of Longmont and Fort Collins, but only time will tell. Allowing safe oil drilling does not have to be synonymous with an unhealthy, unsafe environment. The oil industry is an innovative one trying to surve the demands of people across the globe.
Source: http://www.denverpost.com/editorials/ci_29681429/colorado-oil-and-gas-bill-deserves-defeat
The Dahill Group 