April 1, 2008--Energy rules aim to protect water supplies (Grand Junction Daily Sentinel)
Oil and gas drilling in and around municipal watersheds and other public water supplies would be prohibited under a series of highly anticipated energy regulations unveiled Monday. Under the proposed rules, released by the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, drilling within 500 feet or five miles upstream of public water supplies, including municipal watersheds, would be prohibited. David Neslin, acting director of the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, said the watershed protections were included in the draft rules after Western Slope residents raised the issue at public forums. Rep. Bernie Buescher, D-Grand Junction, said he was pleased to see the watershed protections included in the rules. “There was a lot of anguish and concern, but clearly the commission listened,” Buescher said, “and these rules quite obviously took into consideration the concerns the industry expressed.”
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