Oil and gas activists peppered Governor JohnHickenlooperwith questions this weekend. At first they protested outside the St. Regis hotel, hoping to catchHickenlooperand other democratic governors in a conference. When Colorado鈥檚 governor didn鈥檛 come out to talk, demonstrators followed him to the Aspen Institute... whereHickenlooperappeared to get flustered after a barrage of questions.
A boisterous crowd of more than hundred people waved signs and shouted slogans. They faced Aspen鈥檚 upscale St Regis Hotel, where members of the Democratic Governor鈥檚 Association held a conference... hosted byHickenlooper.
鈥淲e want him to put a moratorium onfrackinguntil it鈥檚 proven safe, if that鈥檚 possible.鈥�
MicahParkinis with the environmental activist group 鈥�350,鈥� one of the organizers of the protest. Hydraulic fracturing, better known asfracking, has opened up reserves previously considered out of reach. The result has been a drilling boom and a growing controversy over the chemicals used in the process.
鈥淭he people of Colorado, and increasingly people across our nation are extremely concerned about the impacts offrackingon our kids health, on our health, on our air, on our water and our climate...鈥�
Scientific studies offrackingare inconclusive about the effect on human health. ButParkin, of Boulder, cited studies and figures she believes show negative impacts. And that鈥檚 what she wanted to tellHickenlooperand the other governors. Many other protesters were from the Front Range, and said they support attempts to limitfrackingon a city or county level. And they were frustrated the state鈥檚 oil and gas agency has joined second lawsuit against Longmont, this time over the city鈥檚frackingban. Longmont resident Mike Taylor said he traveled to Aspen also hoping to get Governor JohnHickenlooper鈥檚attention.
鈥淚f the Front Range can get a lot of the big communities to ban this, is he going to sue everybody? Maybe he will!鈥�
GovernorHickenloopersays the suit is necessary to prevent municipalities from overruling state issued drilling leases. Organizers in Aspen had hoped he would meet with them. Especially since the Governor has publicly supported other citizen efforts to block drilling... most notably in the Thompson Divide area west of the Roaring Fork Valley. WhenHickenlooperdidn鈥檛 show, the protesters quickly regrouped and found him at the Aspen Institute... a think tank whereHickenlooperwas making a public appearance with the other governors. At first, he was more than happy to talk.
Hickenlooper: 鈥淚 just wanted to, I didn鈥檛 get a chance to answer that question because those guys鈥︹��
Allison Wolff: 鈥淚 know, I would have loved to have heard your answer...鈥�
The governor tried to convince the small crowd that fracking is safe, with proper regulations. He seemed confused that the state was suing Longmont again. He suggested another way for the city to protect residents without banning fracking altogether.
鈥淚 might be wrong, I鈥檓 not a lawyer, so I might be wrong. But my understanding was that communities can go and set their own, you can set standards of what your water cleanliness can be and air quality can be, right?鈥�
After several minutes and a barrage of questionsHickenlooperappeared to get flustered.
Hickenlooper: 鈥淵ou got two issues. You got the environmental issue. and then you got a land use issue, right? Really, and those are two separate things.鈥�
Suzanne Spiegel: 鈥淎nd also the health issue.鈥�
Hickenlooper: 鈥淲ell that鈥檚 environmental. So environment...鈥�
Neshama Abraham: 鈥淓nvironmental is climate change, but people are dying...鈥�
Hickenlooper: 鈥淣o, no, environmental鈥檚 not just climate change. Environmental鈥檚...鈥�
[Someone sighs.]
Suzanne Spiegel: 鈥淲e represent a lot of people, just so you know.鈥�
Hickenlooper: 鈥淚 understand, I understand鈥︹��
Shortly after,Hickenlooper鈥檚staffers hustled the governor away. Suzanne Spiegel, withFrack-FreeColorado, was left unconvinced.
鈥淭he regulations that they鈥檙e giving us still put us in a very vulnerable position where we鈥檙e completely affected by the wells that are still, even if they鈥檙e 500 feet away, in our backyard.鈥�
As the oil and gas boom continues, pressure is growing on Governor Hickenlooper from citizens who fear the environmental and health effects of drilling. Saturday鈥檚 confrontation makes it clear that tough questions are unlikely to be answered in brief and impromptu meetings.
Note: The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission and Colorado Oil and Gas Association did not respond to requests for comment on this story.
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