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Campaign Urges Residents to Pass Water Regulations

Posted on: Wednesday, 12 October 2005, 21:00 CDT

By Bill Jackson, Greeley Tribune, Colo.

Oct. 12--The Colorado Citizen Campaign is going door to door in Greeley this fall organizing support for the Colorado Water Quality Control Commission's decision to uphold storm-water regulations.

Campaign members will be urging residents to write to the commission thanking them for passing the regulations and asking them to keep the regulations in place.

Colorado Citizens Campaign is a statewide nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that focuses on organizing the public voice to improve the quality of life in Colorado.

Estimates are that over 4,000 new oil and gas development permits will be issued this year alone in Colorado, including more than 1,000 in Weld County.

"The concern is that this oil boom will lead to a water quality bust, if best management practices aren't enforced," said Fred Kirsch, program director for Colorado Citizens Campaign.

"Industry officials claim that they can drill responsibly. If that's the case, then there should be no problem adhering to state regulations," he said.

The Colorado Water Quality Control Commission is taking public comment for their Jan. 9, 2006, ruling concerning regulations for oil and gas development sites in Colorado.

In March of this year the commission adopted rules requiring that any construction site over one acre in size must apply best management practices to minimize water pollution from runoff. Those practices include using hay bales and silt fence to prevent loose dirt from washing into nearby streams during rain and storms. This regulation applies to all construction activities, including the development of land for oil and gas production.

The Colorado Oil and Gas Association has filed suit claiming that the state doesn't have the right to regulate water pollution from oil and gas sites. As a result, the commission will review the current policy in January to determine if the state should regulate these activities.

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Copyright (c) 2005, Greeley Tribune, Colo.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

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Source: Greeley Tribune, Colorado

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