Keep Local Control

Fracking is a weird word. It sounds like what it is. Drillers dig into a rock layer and using high pressure, they blow apart the rock to release the natural gas inside.
Frack.
Sounds messy. It can be. And that’s why making sure our backyard is protected from the liabilities of fracking is important. If that means changing the county’s oil and gas regulations, then our elected officials should do it. If it means coming to a protective agreement with the state, then we should do it. I don’t care how, but we should all care that it gets done.
The Gunnison County commissioners had planned to vote this coming Tuesday on amending the current oil and gas regs. It appears now that they will push that off for at least several months.

While many will voice opposition to even attempting to extract natural gas in the county, the fact is there is a lot of the valuable resource in the area. So companies will do what they can to take it from the earth and bring it to the market.
And the fact that you and I use it to stay warm in the sometimes-frigid winters of Crested Butte makes it hard to be against drilling for it. We all use gas and most everyone seems to agree that if we can provide energy from within this country’s borders, it is a better deal than continuing to fund radical Middle East groups and governments to send us oil.

But that doesn’t mean we should turn a blind eye and give carte blanche to those extracting the resource. Keeping good, valid controls over how it takes place and making sure that we don’t frack up the assets we already have here is imperative. I’m not sure we can trust the state to have the same level of passion for protecting our backyard. So it seems reasonable to implement local controls and make sure we are protected. But ultimately, whether that comes through amending and increasing county regulations or implementing our requested protections through the state, it really doesn’t matter. Taking the action however, does matter.

Hap, Paula and Phil need to make sure the important changes are addressed. Who can argue against disclosing what the heck the drilling companies are putting into the earth that eventually could impact our water supply? The commissioners should do more than just require that drilling companies inform the public what chemicals are being used. They should require that any fracking fluid be “green” and not include things like diesel fuel. Halliburton apparently has developed “green fracking fluid” so that is what should be permitted. That doesn’t sound onerous.
In fact, water-based drilling fluids leave the smallest environmental footprint when compared to oil-based and synthetic-based fluids. Oil companies may not want to risk bad press for continuing to use oil-based fluids. And it’s not much more expensive than currently used fluids.

Like most of these types of operations, it doesn’t seem unreasonable for the commissioners to require that companies pay for independent inspections to make sure the facilities are being operated safely, without leaks or incidents and that our water, air and health are not being compromised.
Baseline water studies should be thorough and complete before any work is started. When drilling commences, regular monitoring seems perfectly reasonable. If the water is found to be contaminated during the drilling process, the drilling should cease until the problem is 100 percent corrected. The county (or state) should hold an adequate bond to make sure that if there is any problem, it can be corrected quickly and meticulously.

Look, the drilling wells are popping up over on the other side of Kebler Pass. They could expand closer and closer to Crested Butte. But even now, they sit precariously close to the orchards and farms that supply us with fresh food in the summer and fall. That simply should not be jeopardized.
Our county commissioners are elected in large part to protect the health, safety and welfare of the citizens living here. Their end goal should be to make sure our backyard is kept clean. Voting to implement reasoned regulations falls into that basket and so does striking a deal with state regulators to ensure higher standards are imposed. I don’t care how it is done, but we all care that it be done and done in our best interests.