Colorado Springs Council Plans March Vote on Oil & Gas Regulations

By On February 25, 2013 · 2 Comments · In Business, Colorado Springs, Energy, KRCC News, Liz Ruskin, Text

Colorado Springs City Council will proceed with oil and gas regulations, despite calls among fracking opponents for a public hearing. As KRCC’s Liz Ruskin reports, council members on both sides of the issue feel time is running out.

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Council members have been working on how to regulate oil and gas development for more than a year. But city elections are around the corner and a new group will be sworn in come April. Council President Scott Hente says all their work will be lost if they don’t vote on an ordinance in the next six weeks.

“I think regardless if you hate the idea of oil wells in Colorado Springs or you love the idea of oil wells in Colorado Springs, I think one way or another we owe everybody an answer on this one.”

Councilwomen Brandy Williams and Jan Martin agreed with critics in calling for a formal public hearing, although Martin acknowledged time is short. The council is due to take a final vote on the regulations next month.

 
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2 Responses to Colorado Springs Council Plans March Vote on Oil & Gas Regulations

  1. Nicole Rosa says:
    February 25, 2013 at 7:18 pm

    It was shocking to hear Ms. Dougan state “60 years of fracking and nothing has ever gone wrong.” Equally shocking was the fact that air quality issues were discussed for less than 3 minutes with the conclusion “we’re still working on it”. Most frightening was the mention of not knowing who owns the mineral rights under Garden of the Gods and Palmer Park.

    Reply
  2. sadie grey says:
    February 25, 2013 at 9:36 pm

    Citizens have been calling for a public hearing for months now but council has continued to ignore us. Now they act like there isn’t time but if they had addressed our first requests a hearing would be over and done with by now. Angela ‘Drill baby Drill’ Dougan is somehow able to ignore facts and keep asserting that there has never been any problems which makes ppl like me wonder who’s pocket she’s in. This is an issue where being wrong isn’t just an ‘oops’ issue. If we get this wrong it isn’t reversible and the future generations will pay the price. Remember DDT? Asbestos? Tobacco? Love Canal? Rocky Flats? BPA? When exactly will we learn to stop listening to the soothsayers who have the wealth and own the resources?

    Reply

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