Ruling might force Colorado to block drilling within cities

Statement of Earthworks energy program director Bruce Baizel

Denver, March 23 -Today the Colorado Court of Appeals (in a 2-1 decision) held that the Oil and Gas Conservation Act makes oil and gas development conditional on protection of public health, safety, and welfare.

"Today’s court ruling is good news for Coloradans who care about their health. Up until now, the state of Colorado has claimed that fracking and drilling can occur in your backyard, no matter if you don’t want it there or if it’ll harm your health.

Governor Hickenlooper has sued cities like Boulder and Longmont who have had the temerity to try to stop it.

Peer-reviewed research, some of the best of it done here in Colorado, overwhelmingly demonstrates that living close to oil and gas facilities threatens our health.

Now the state of Colorado, after removing communities’ power to ban fracking and drilling themselves, might have to effectively ban fracking inside cities to protect residents’ health."