For years, some Coloradans have called for changes to how far oil and gas wells have to be from places like schools or homes. Those calls have led to some incremental changes, but in 2018, voters rejected an attempt to significantly increase minimum distances known as setbacks.

Yet now, state regulators will take another swing at it, this time with a new set of ground rules as they debate how far oil and gas development needs to be from schools and housing like apartment buildings. The stakes are high: In a few months, how Colorado regulates oil and gas development could be very different. The industry, politicians, and advocates against fossil fuels all see the work happening now as the main venue to hash out their differences.

The new ground rules, born out of a 2019 state law passed by Democrats, say that health and safety have to be bigger considerations for state regulators when they approve or deny permits from oil and gas companies.

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Source: Colorado Public Radio