(MintPress) – For Colorado, fracking is the new global warming.
The Colorado state capitol on Tuesday was the scene of widespread hydraulic fracking protests, not in opposition to the practice, but in favor of it. The demonstration in Denver drew hundreds of “pro-job activists” eager to see a new industry they believe would provide a much-needed boost to the economy.
It was spurred by a recent move in Longmont, Colo. to ban the practice within city limits. In that city, residents were presented with a ballot question regarding the outlaw of the process, which injects carcinogenic chemicals and water into the ground while extracting oil found deep beneath rock formation. To the surprise of nearly everyone, the ban passed, showing that local residents were concerned with water and soil contamination.
Just like that, Longmont joined the 270 communities throughout the U.S. that have stepped up in opposition to fracking.
This caught the attention of government and oil company leaders, who saw it as a potential threat to the entire state economy. Similar measures are up for review in Aurora, Louisville and Lafayette, Colo. If passed, it would present a serious problem to the fracking industry aiming to develop in Colorado.
That has anti-fracking activists pleased, but also has business leaders (those who stand to profit) worried, along with people looking for jobs.
The Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce is at the forefront of the pro-fracking movement. However, the organization does not like to use that label. Instead, a spokesperson with the organization told MintPress it is pro-energy efficiency and pro-jobs.
Chamber Chief Executive Officer Kelly Brough said in an interview with MintPress that the fracking industry had infused $1.1 billion into government coffers during 2010, through property and income taxes. Money speaks, at least in this case.
“What it (oil industry) puts into public coffers around the state is tremendous and really helps, frankly, what others might have to pay,” she said.
For her and the industry she works in, it’s also about jobs. Brough cites the fact that 100,000 people around the state are employed by the industry — and she sees the potential for growth.
Brough’s viewpoint is that everyone needs to sit down together for a solution to the concerns — environmentalists and business leaders included.
The pro-fracking/anti-fracking battle has Colorado in an interesting conundrum that doesn’t necessarily split perfectly along party lines. Even those who would tick the left side of the political box are concerned more about jobs than the environment, representing a rift in the debate.
As the state moves forward, environmental organizations are amping up their efforts to expose the dangers of fracking.
To frack or not to frack?
Colorado has been a hotbed of fracking activity, and anti-fracking activists have been organized and vocal in their opposition to a fairly new oil retracting process that carries with it a number of environmental concerns, including water and soil contamination.
“The long-term value of our land, our air and our water in Fort Collins is far more valuable than any money we might gain from oil and gas extraction,” Rico Moore, a former community college teacher said in an interview with the Denver Post.
Moore is among activists around the state who are stepping up their game in an educational campaign pitting activists against oil corporations and the business community. After quitting his job because fracking was set to take place nearby, he started “Don’t Frack the Fort,” an anti-fracking campaign in Fort Collins, Colo.
The concerns of Don’t Frack the Fort are similar to other anti-fracking groups around the state, who see gas companies using their clout to work around the rules.
Fracking is exempt from federal environmental regulations, including those relating to the Safe Drinking Water Act and provisions of the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act.
The lack of regulations is troubling for anti-fracking activists, leading to suspicion of gas companies acting outside of what would be considered standard federal environmental regulations. But it’s not just suspicion they point to.
Clean Water Action, an environmental watchdog group, points to a Congressional investigation conducted between 2005 and 2009. During that time, the investigation concluded that 32 million gallons of diesel fuel had been illegally injected into the ground during fracking practices in 19 states.
The study also found that the oil and gas companies used 29 chemicals that are known as human carcinogens and are regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act, to which fracking activities are not held to.
Halting the movement
Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper has emerged as a cheerleader for the oil and gas industry. A democrat, he’s taken on the cause under the premise of jobs, jobs, jobs. He even went so far as to appear in a pro-fracking radio ad, sponsored by the Colorado Oil and Gas Association (COGA). In it, he praises the industry as a job creator, and one that is safe for the environment.
The ad highlights the fact that, since 2008, no reported cases of groundwater contamination have been associated with drilling and hydraulic fracking.
“And we plan to keep it that way,” he says. “That’s why Colorado recently passed the toughest and fairest hydraulic fracturing disclosure rule in the nation. In Colorado, we’ve proven that industry and the conservation community can come together to solve problems. We can create jobs, promote energy security, and protect our environment.”
COGA released a fact sheet regarding the hydraulic fracturing disclosure rule, highlighting that 99.5 percent of fluids used in the fracking process “generally” contain water and sand, depending on the ground formation of the given area.
Not everyone is buying it.
Clean Water Action repeatedly points to the fact that regulations must be in place — that people are having a hard time taking oil company’s word for it.
“Despite their claims that the chemicals used in the fracking process is safe, some drilling companies have consistently refused to provide a comprehensive list of the chemical additives used in fracking fluid,” the website states.
Colorado’s legislation requiring oil companies to release in 60 days the chemicals and concentrations of chemicals used is essentially built on an honor system, lacking the regulatory power of a government body.
The most recent push by Hickenlooper has been to advocate for a statewide policy on fracking, which would alleviate the headache for cities who are stepping away from the practice. These cities also don’t necessarily have the jurisdiction or regulatory power to enforce their bans.
If that’s the case, it seems the governor and oil companies could get their way. If not, advocates of fracking say the industry will move to another state, taking its jobs with them. For those concerned about the long-term impact on their friends and neighbors, the move away from the Sunshine State would be applauded.