Colorado State’s Natural Gas Symposium has turned up a few gems in the oil and gas debate, but perhaps the best so far is the call for a “common-sense approach” to oil and gas development in the West.
Industry and environmental groups have been arguing about everything from regulations to access on public lands, but neither has come up with a plan that balances our western way of life and expanded energy production without sacrificing one or the other.
In his keynote speech, Interior Deputy Secretary David Hayes said that contrary to what industry executives have said,
The door is open on federal lands to do responsible gas development.
The keyword here is “responsible.” Meaning, the Interior Department won’t acquiesce to industry’s requests for lax regulations. Instead, Hayes said access to the more than 400 million acres of land “which are owned by all of us” will be protected by responsible practices rooted in reasonable regulations. These commonsense regulations include requirements to disclose the chemical makeup in fracking fluids, as well as a rule requiring companies prove wells will not leak and cause irreparable harm to the surrounding water or land.
Governor John Hickenlooper echoed Hayes core point during his speech. Hickenlooper’s attempts to develop new regulations in Colorado, while simultaneously pushing a pro-oil and gas agenda, have caught the Governor right in the middle, between industry and environmental groups. He said industry groups aren’t happy with his insistence on stricter regulations while environmental supporters think he’s too soft with them.
Ultimately, the way the world’s going to move forward is finding compromises.
Despite his adherence to industry development in Colorado, Governor Hickenlooper said he isn’t willing to risk what is most important:
We all have the same primary goal, before anything, [which] is to make sure our communities are safe. We have a zero tolerance for risking groundwater or air quality.
Hickenlooper and Hayes are right. Both sides of the fracking debate need to concede some ground in order for both to win. However, the deal that needs to be struck is one that doesn’t compromise safe drinking water, spill-free land, clean air or healthy residents. Our resources must be used responsibly and on our terms.