Polis Applauds Boulder County Plan to Protect Coloradans from Fracking Dangers

Statement

Congressman Jared Polis released the following statement regarding Boulder County's Development Plan and Review for Oil and Gas Operations, which encourages oil and gas companies that are preparing to drill to communicate with the local community, residents, and other stakeholders.

"Boulder County has taken a positive step toward regulating the nuisance of fracking near homes and schools that balances the benefits of natural gas development with health and environmental impacts. Local communities possess a long-established right to regulate land use. A 500-foot buffer around residences is a sensible approach to ensuring that Boulder County residents are not exposed to hazardous chemicals used in, and resulting from fracking while still allowing the extraction of natural gas in less populated areas.

"To better protect all Americans, I introduced the FRAC Act and the BREATHE Act to eliminate exemptions for oil and gas drillers under the Clean Water Act and the Clean Air Act. If, as the industry claims, fracking poses no danger to the public, then the oil and gas companies have nothing to fear from the disclosure of the chemicals they use.

"I applaud the Boulder County commissioners for acting to protect our health and safety and look forward to working with them as we continue to address this critical issue."

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