...

The dozen potential ballot initiatives would amend the state constitution to do things such as mandate setbacks of drilling rigs from homes and give more power to local government to regulate operations.

"These are wrongheaded measures," said Ken Salazar, a former U.S. senator and secretary of the Interior who . . . is co-chairman of CFRR.

Though self-described as a citizens brigade, the coalition includes politically powerful organizations such as the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce; Colorado Concern; Colorado Association of Commerce and Industry; Action 22; Club 20; and Progressive 15.

...


Read more: Battle over oil and gas regs in Colorado loops in political powers - The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_25672489/battle-over-oil-and-gas-regs-colorado-loops#ixzz30U9o3BV6

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Way back when I was in elementary school there were always playground bullies who liked to make life miserable for the rest of us. The upside was the certain knowledge that those bullies would be dealt with by the school authorities. Fast forward to the present wherein the playground bullies have been replaced by the oil and gas industry, and the authorities are now protecting them against those who don’t like being abused. The absurdity of this development is compounded by the cruel indifference with which it is delivered. It’s a horrible thing when your local government tells you that you simply do not matter.

from Protect Our Loveland

Residents in the heart of this oil-and-gas boomtown for years have watched drilling operations advance toward their homes, moving in from the high-plains grasslands, then farm fields, then strip-mall suburbs. At public commission meetings and town-hall gatherings residents have raised concerns about air quality, water contamination, noise and traffic. In recent weeks, city authorities have given them something else to worry about: toxic explosions and spills local safety officials admit they are unprepared to handle.

Under questioning at a city planning commission meeting on Monday, Fire Marshall Dale Lyman conceded that the city had none of the fire-fighting foam equipment emergency teams use to combat oil-and-gas blazes. “This is an area where we need help,” Lyman said. “We keep five-gallon buckets of the foam in garages around the city. We bring it to mix with water at the site, or we call in air support.”
...
Local media have reported a series of recent Weld County oil-tank fires. Two weeks ago, a billowing-black-smoke fire made television news in Frederick. It burned for an hour before a foam-equipped crew extinguished it and while students and staff at a nearby school “sheltered in place.” In March, a tank at a site just north of Greeley exploded around midnight, rocking Greeley residents in their beds. It took 18 firefighters from Windsor and Greeley three hours to douse the blaze and clear the scene. Officials suspect static electricity sparked the explosion. In December, a tank fire at a Platteville site burned for 10 hours.

...
http://www.coloradoindependent.com/147227/in-drilling-boom-greeley-safety-infrastructure-lags-stoking-citizen-concerns

The story is not behind a paywall. Please read it.

As part of Holocaust Remembrance, our UUs hosted a lecture/concert featuring klezmer. It came as a bit of a shock that 90% of klezmorim did not survive the Holocaust. All the more reason to be thankful that any of the music survived, its influences recognizable in our music today. This small venue concert was so well attended that another is planned for this fall. I'll be there.

&feature=player_detailpage

This is the county where I live.

Fracking poisons, it's that simple.

from last night's Rachel Maddow Show:

Right wing record haunts purple state candidate
http://on.msnbc.com/1rrgbTG

Ignorance plea by candidate tests voters
http://on.msnbc.com/RQLzic

Rachel Maddow is wrong. The GOP does not want Reagan to be a saint, they want him to be God. Anyway, she's talking about the GOP's obsession with naming everything after Reagan. Reminds me of this: