Erie Expected To Approve Construction Of 13 New Oil & Gas Wells

ERIE, Colo. (CBS4) - A Colorado town is set to approve the construction of 13 new oil and gas wells.

The two fracking sites are west of Front Range Landfill in Erie. One site would have six wells and the other seven. The Town of Erie was expected to vote on the issue Tuesday evening. It's the last chance for residents living in the nearby Vista Pointe and Vista Ridge subdivisions to weigh in before the town leaders decide.

"We push as far as we can the operators to meet or exceed regulations. We've achieved that," Town of Erie spokesman Fred Diehl said.

Diehl says state regulators have already approved the plan. It's now the town's turn to weigh whether Encana Engery's plan meets their standards for fencing and air quality.

Ecana Energy spokeswoman Wendy Weidenbeck says her company's plan involves building two new drill pads.

"There's a mineral owner and there's also a property owner, and they have the right to have their minerals developed and their surface preserved for today's use and their future uses," Weidenbeck said.

The proposed wells are close enough to neighborhoods to make homeowners concerned. Some people say they feel blindsided by the plan to build more wells despite plans being in the works for two years.

"We've addressed public health and safety concerns above and beyond what the state required," Diehl said.

The other main concern is what the new wells will do to property values.

If approved, the construction on the two new pads would start before the end of the year.

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