Government Energy Policy, Business and Technology

Colorado oil and gas ballot initiative would bar extraction on more than 80 percent of non-federal land, state regulators say

Fort Morgan Times: More than 4 of every 5 acres of non-federal land in Colorado would be off-limits to new oil and gas drilling if voters this fall approve a proposed ballot measure that aims to significantly widen the distance wells have to be from occupied buildings and water sources, according to an analysis released this month by state energy regulators.

The report, which doesn't directly address the initiative's potential economic impact, comes at the fever pitch of a yearslong dispute over how and where companies access mineral rights. Supporters call the industry an engine of economic growth, whereas critics point to the fading gap between extraction sites and fast-expanding neighborhoods.

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