Let’s keep facts at forefront of the fracking debate

Re: “Fracking Fluid Hazardous, Or Not?” Aug. 11 letter to the editor

Your reader’s contention that “a truck carrying fracking fluid overturned in Poudre Canyon and required a hazmat team to clean it up” is reflective of the misconceptions that opponents of the energy industry continue to peddle.

The truck in question was carrying flowback water (water that rose back to the surface following hydraulic fracturing operations), not “fracking fluid.” As to the latter, Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper once drank a glass of the stuff, later testifying to a Senate committee that its ingredients were entirely “sourced from the food industry.”

Colorado natural gas and oil regulations are among the most robust in the nation, and our commitment to environmental stewardship is paramount. In fact, Colorado was the first state to require disclosure of chemicals in fracking fluid. The energy industry plays a leading role in upholding Colorado’s strong air regulations and combatting methane emission issues. When it comes to safety and the environment, Colorado is a national leader.

Assuming that a hazmat team was deployed because the situation was in anyway nefarious ignores the reality that the industry always prefers to exercise an abundance of caution on behalf of the communities we serve.

As an industry, we can do a better job of educating the public as to just how safe our work is, but the spread of misinformation and activist talking points does a great disservice to substantive dialogue. Tracee Bentley, Colorado Petroleum Council Executive Director