In the state of Colorado, two deadly accidents - one from a leaking natural gas well well, the other at an oil storage tank - have reignited a debate over how close oil and gas facilities should be built to residential areas, and about whether there is enough government oversight of industrial operations that pose safety, health, and environmental risks.
US Correspondent Mary MacCarthy reports:
IN: "Cities and towns..."US Correspondent Mary MacCarthy reports:
SCRIPT:
Cities and towns in this part of Colorado, north of Denver, consistently rank as some of the best places to live in the U.S.
But the region is also home to thousands of oil and gas wells, and is often called ground zero in the national debate over how much drilling is too much
SOT: Tim Graham, Resident
"This is what we're going to have within 500 feet of our homes."
Tim Graham is standing near a massive well just a few minutes' drive from his home, and he says planning is underway to build wells like this one, right on the edge of his neighborhood.
SOT: Tim Graham, Resident
"Once the oil, gas, and contaminated water comes, what kind of air pollution we'll have, no one really knows. It's quite frightening to have it this close to our homes, our playgrounds, our schools, and our reservoir."
Graham and many of his neighbours say they're worried about the potential effects of the oil and gas development on their health and the environment, but that basic safety is their top concern.
His neighbour Ann-Marie Byers, says there's good reason to fear an incident like the leaking natural well that caused a home to explode near here recently, killing two people.
SOT: Ann-Marie Byers, Resident
"What we're finding is that over half the wells that have been inspected thus far had some sort of incident like that, and while they have been mitigated at this point, what we're worried about is putting this large-scale development right next to two of our neighborhoods."
In the wake of the fatal home explosion, lawmakers considered a bill that would increase monitoring of all oil and gas wells - but, to the frustration of the Democratic governor, Republicans shot down the proposed legislation.
SOT: John Hickenlooper, Governor of Colorado
"We need to be able to guarantee people, in the comfort of their own homes, that they are safe."
Production of oil and natural gas increased dramatically during the Obama years, flipping America's status from a net oil and gas importer to a net exporter.
And with a drilling-friendly administration now in the White House, production is expected to ramp up even more…
But in places like this, where the development is happening almost in their backyards, Americans on both sides of the political spectrum are angry.
SOT: Jim Bensman, Resident
"I don't understand why, when you drive around you see a lot of open space here, why they have to put projects of this size so close to houses."
Local Republican leader Jim Bensman says he's deeply disappointed with his own party.
SOT: Jim Bensman, Resident
"I'm upset about this. I'm a Republican and Republicans are blocking this." //"I've never seen a door slammed the way the door has been slammed on the residents. If this keeps up, there's a groundswell of opposition which is going to damage the industry."
Whether or not that opposition grows on a national level remains to be seen…
But for now, the company that operates the Colorado sites that experienced the deadly explosions has already taken a financial hit — share prices have dropped over 15% and it has been forced to shut down some of its wells.
Mary MacCarthy, Denver, Colorado.
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