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KUNC is a member of Capitol Coverage, a collaborative public policy reporting project, providing news and analysis to communities across Colorado for more than a decade. Fifteen public radio stations participate in Capitol Coverage from throughout Colorado.

Capitol Conversation: Could ‘Fracking’ Divide Democrats In The Legislature?

KUNC

Governor John Hickenlooper has been criticized for telling members of Congress last week that he once drank flack fluid. The governor was touting the state as a model for balanced energy rules.

Many Democratic state lawmakers say new rules increasing the setback distance between drilling and homes are still too lenient.

%22If%20there%27s%20any%20one%20thing%20that%20splits%20the%20Democrat%20Party%20this%20year%2C%20it%27s%20not%20going%20to%20be%20education%20like%20it%20has%20been%20in%20previous%20years%2C%20it%27s%20not%20going%20to%20be%20gun%20bills%2C%20I%20think%20it%20could%20be%20oil%20and%20gas.%22%20Joe%20Hanel%20-%20Durango%20Herald

KUNC’s State Capitol reporter Bente Birkeland talks with fellow statehouse reporters about the issue that some say could divide the legislature more than the current gun debate.

An oil and gas rig in Weld County, Colo.
Credit Photo by Kirk Siegler
An oil and gas rig in Weld County, Colo.

Bente Birkeland is an award-winning journalist who joined Colorado Public Radio in August 2018 after a decade of reporting on the Colorado state capitol for the Rocky Mountain Community Radio collaborative and KUNC. In 2017, Bente was named Colorado Journalist of the Year by the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), and she was awarded with a National Investigative Reporting Award by SPJ a year later.
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