All homes and schools in Colorado should be protected from new oil and gas drilling by a 2,000-foot buffer or setback – four times the current standard for urban areas, a majority of the members of the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission said.

In a session Wednesday to review proposed rule changes on setbacks, four of the five commissioners voiced support for an extended setback to protect public health and safety, as well as reduce nuisances such as odors, noise and heavy traffic.

The one commissioner expressing reservations about the 2,000-foot setback was Bill Gonzalez, a former oil and gas industry executive. “I don’t think that is the right number and the right way of going about it,” he said.

Jeff Robbins, the commission chairman, said that the expanded setback was in line with the COGCC’s change in mission — defined in Senate Bill 181 — from promoting oil and gas development to the protection of public safety, health, welfare and the environment in regulating the oil and gas industry.

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Source: The Colorado Sun