This powerful letter to the editor by Lafayette, CO City Councilwoman Merrily Mazza appeared in the Daily Camera on March 15th, 2019.

Once again, Democrats have the opportunity to create legislation aligned with public health, climate science and the democratic rights of local communities. Yet on the heels of bleak climate reports demanding an immediate end to fossil fuel extraction, Colorado drillers tout record-breaking oil production. In the face of overwhelming scientific consensus, elected officials still ignore the climate, the environment, democratic rights and human life.

Senate Bill 19-181 is not based on climate science. It gives communities no power to protect residents’ fundamental, democratic rights to clean air, clean water and a healthy climate. It stops no drills. It makes no climate-protective changes to the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. It allots no money to transition fossil fuel workers to safe jobs. It offers continuous air monitoring but does nothing to stop toxic pollution. It doesn’t stop forced pooling. It lets communities decide how and where they are drilled. It lets them impose fines, inspect operations and deal with drilling nuisances, but it doesn’t allow them to ban extraction. What happened to the language in 2018’s Protect Act, proposed by now Sen. Mike Foote and now Boulder County Commissioner Matt Jones, which clearly gave communities authority to ban extraction? Gone.

In the face of impending environmental catastrophe, elected officials remain, as always, protective of industry, Wall Street, and the almighty market hastening environmental doom.

East Boulder County United has never wavered. We understand that the political system is not broken but working according to plan.

We believe this system must be exposed for what it is and how it works. Because our very survival is at stake, we call for an end to climate-killing extraction.

We believe communities have the right, and must seize the power, to make decisions for themselves. We believe people have a moral obligation to protect themselves, their families, their communities and the natural world.

Merrily Mazza

Lafayette

(To read this letter to the editor at its original source please click HERE.)