Colorado ballot initiative to keep drilling further away from neighborhoods is 'NIMBYism at its most stark' - Entrepreneur Generations

Colorado residents will vote on a ballot initiative in November that would ban oil and gas drilling within 2,500 feet of buildings and some green spaces (up from the current limit of 500 feet) is "NIMBYism at its most stark," Amy Harder writes for Axios. 

But though "Not In My Back Yard" opposition tends to have a negative connotation, it shouldn't here, Harder writes. "It’s the surprisingly simple result of a growing population and oil drilling encroaching on each other. It's a national symbol of both the economic benefits of drilling and its understandable drawbacks to nearby neighborhoods.

The state's oil sector is spending big bucks to defeat the measure. Industry officials worry it will curtail new development, which could cost 150,000 jobs and risk $1 billion in annual taxes, Harder writes. And a state government study found the initiative could put as much as 85 percent of the state's non-federal lands off-limits for future energy development. But the initiative's backers say that drilling too close to homes could endanger both the environment and residents' health and safety. 

Polling paid for by the state's oil industry found that the initiative will likely pass with about 60 percent support. But "the conventional wisdom among analysts following the initiative is that it’ll fail, fueled by a well-funded industry campaign and bipartisan political opposition to the measure," Harder writes.

from The Rural Blog https://ift.tt/2N2HacX Colorado ballot initiative to keep drilling further away from neighborhoods is 'NIMBYism at its most stark' - Entrepreneur Generations

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