Regional
(2010-07-30)
GREELEY, CO
(KUNC) -
As Congress considers new drilling regulations for the oil and gas industry, a new report from a national environmental group looks at oil- and gas-related incidents across the country. Colorado didn't make the top ten list of states with the most incidents, but it has had its share of them, according to the report from the National Wildlife Federation. The environmental advocacy group catalogs pipeline accidents, spills and fires across the country from 2000 to 2009. Tim Warman is the executive director of the NWF's Global Warming Solutions program and contributing author. He says the report shows that there are problems when it comes to the production and use of petroleum products - and that they lead to accidents and loss of life more often than many Coloradans realize. "Generally the public doesn't hear about these outside of their local area - until you have a big disaster."
The report highlights several incidents in western Colorado, including a 2005 tanker truck spill near Silt and the release of more than a million gallons of "fracking" chemical fluids near Parachute in 2008. Warman says at least a dozen such accidents and spills have happened across the state since 2000. But Colorado's numbers are significantly lower than states like Texas, Louisiana and California - which all topped the National Wildlife Federation's list. A spokesperson for the American Petroleum Institute says that safety and environmental protection are top priorities for the industry, and that they're committed to improvement.
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