Commerce City Continues Drilling Moratorium
COMMERCE CITY, Colo. (AP) - The Commerce City Council is continuing a moratorium on oil and gas drilling to give officials more time to study the issue before voting on a long-term moratorium.
A panel of experts says Colorado cities cannot ban hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas drillers, but there are other ways to ensure the drilling will be done safely.
A proposed city ordinance would create a six-month moratorium on any surface or subsurface oil and and gas operations that include hydraulic fracturing or drilling activities within the city limits. The ordinance will be reviewed on Feb. 27.
Fracking involves blasting a mix of water, sand and chemicals underground. Industry officials say fracking has been done safely for decades.
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