"House Dems Call for Hearing on Oil, Gas Spills in Colorado Floods"

"Legislators say Congress must fully understand the potential grave consequences resulting from floods."



"Two House Democrats are urging Congress to investigate oil and gas spills caused by massive flooding in Colorado – a state where the number of oil and gas wells has doubled since 2006, when horizontal drilling and fracking were introduced.

Congressmen Jared Polis, D-Colo., and Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., in a letter sent Friday to the House Natural Resources Committee, called for a hearing on the spills. DeFazio is the committee's senior Democrat.

'Not only have my constituents been dealing with damage to their homes, schools, and roads, they are increasingly concerned about the toxic spills that have occurred from the flooding of nearly 1,900 fracking wells in Colorado,' Polis said in a press release. 'Congress must deal with this issue to ensure that natural disasters do not also become public health disasters.'"

Renee Lewis reports for Aljazeera America September 29, 2013.

SEE ALSO:

"After the Floods in Colorado, a Deluge of Worry About Leaking Oil" (New York Times)

Source: Aljazeera, 09/30/2013