Maximizing the Economic Benefits of Hydraulic Fracturing While Mitigating the Risk to Human Health in Colorado

This paper highlights the state of Colorado and the exponential growth of fracking in the state over the last two decades. The growth of fracking has benefitted the economy of the state and employs hundreds of thousands of residents, but fracking presents serious environmental and human health risks. The greatest risks are linked to those who live near wells, due to toxins released in the fracking process. There have been local attempts to combat this issue, but a more uniform response is needed to regulate the harmful effects of fracking on the state. Some policy recommendations from the paper include banning fracking in certain areas, such as residential or schools, and ban wells within these areas as well in order to mitigate the effects that fracking has on the water quality.