A new group has formed to give voice to Coloradans facing oil and gas development near their neighborhoods and homes.
Called The League of Oil and Gas Impacted Coloradans, or LOGIC, the group says it’s the first of its kind here to serve homeowners as the advent of fracking moves into residential neighborhoods and closer to downtowns. The organization’s plan is to work with regulators, policymakers, and the oil and gas industry to educate residents who live near drill sites around Colorado.
The new group, however, is not for or against fracking, its director Sara Loflin told The Colorado Independent.
“Our view is sometimes that’s appropriate and sometimes it’s not, and it shouldn’t be done on the backs of these homeowners,” she says. “We think it’s a valid concern to say that soccer moms and a high volume of fracking trucks and school busses don’t necessarily mix. We think those neighbors should be heard.”
The group hopes it can become an information hub and clearinghouse for anyone in Colorado who lives near a current or potential drill site, and also be a way for those affected to organize, share personal stories, or find support.
Currently, the state Supreme Court is considering cases out of Longmont and Fort Collins related to fracking. In Longmont, voters in 2012 banned fracking in the city charter. In Fort Collins, voters in 2013 approved a five-year moratorium on it. Lower court judges overturned the measures when the Colorado Oil and Gas Association sued.
Doug Flanders, a spokesman for the Colorado Oil and Gas Association, acknowledged there are impacts with air, noise and traffic, and the industry group is more than happy to work on how to solve those problems.
He said the only “line in the sand” his organization draws is when someone tries to ban the industry.
[Photo credit: Tim Hurst via Flickr]
