Western Colorado Congress (WCC) members have turned to a new state rule aimed at protecting communities from residential drilling by oil and gas companies in a push to protect Battlement Mesa. The rule was passed following the Governor’s Blue Ribbon Task Force on fracking in order to assuage conflicts between drillers and communities throughout Colorado.
The rule requires drillers to put in mitigation measures near certain residential communities. Because the residential drilling rule is new and untested, Battlement Mesa residents may have to take their case to court. WCC has been critical of the rule and has questioned whether or not it will really protect communities like Battlement Mesa.
In a May 22 article, the Denver Post quoted Matt Sura, the attorney representing WCC members in Battlement Mesa, urging Gov. John Hickenlooper to apply the rule to communities like Battlement Mesa.
“Gov. Hickenlooper’s legacy on oil and gas issues is tied to the way this rule is applied to neighborhoods,” Sura said. “If the Hickenlooper administration fails to protect neighborhoods from the worst impacts of oil and gas development, then the people would be right to decide that the system is broken and needs to be changed through the citizen initiatives.”
Next Steps
A community in Eastern Colorado is also challenging oil and gas development near homes near Greeley. Colorado state regulators will have to determine if either Battlement Mesa or the community near Greeley meet the requirements of the new rule in order to require drillers to minimize the impacts of drilling on the communities.