U.S. carbon emissions are at a 20-year low, said Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, speaking at Hart Energy’s inaugural Rockies Midstream conference in Denver. “The key to this is unorthodox drilling techniques — the combination of horizontal drilling and greatly improved fracturing technology — that have allowed us to see an abundance of natural gas that we could never have imagined.”

Even though the U.S. did not sign the Kyoto Accords, the country is now halfway toward compliance. The vast majority of the reduction in carbon emissions has come from the displacement of coal by natural gas as fuel for electric power generation. “The level of per-capita carbon emissions we are putting out now is the same level as when Eisenhower turned over the White House to John Kennedy,” said Hickenlooper.

That huge environmental benefit is directly tied to the use of hydraulic fracturing to extract natural gas from low-permeability formations. Certainly, the industry has proven its ability to harvest and effectively utilize natural gas, a form of energy that is clean, safe and economic to use. And, use of natural gas keeps jobs and capital in the U.S.

Nonetheless, in a state such as Colorado that is home to a strong environmental community, the application of modern-era fracturing technology is a hot-button issue. In the November 2012 elections, citizens of the city of Longmont, located in Boulder County on the western edge of the Denver-Julesburg Basin, passed an amendment to the city charter that banned hydraulic fracturing.

That result has pushed the issue of hydraulic fracturing front and center for Colorado’s oil and gas community. For Hickenlooper, a former petroleum geologist, the key point is that discussions must be based on facts. “We drill roughly 5,000 wells a year in Colorado and we can’t find examples of where frac water gets into groundwater,” he said. “But let’s give the people some comfort that there is not an issue.”

The industry must be able to assure people that it will protect their quality of life and their neighborhoods and communities, and that these will not be sacrificed in the pursuit of natural gas and oil. This is especially important when the innovations in drilling technology bring exploration into suburban communities and places where it has never been before, he said. “The oil and gas industry must listen carefully to what people are really concerned about.”

To allay fears surrounding water contamination from frac fluids, the industry must test groundwater in existing water wells within some arguable distance of a prospective well location. For concerns about methane emissions, the same care must be taken. “It’s not rocket science to make sure that in those places where people are living, especially around school and hospitals, we are willing to test and to commit to keep that air clean,” said Hickenlooper.

Indeed, the industry needs to address environmental concerns in all phases of the drilling, completion and production process — from transportation of frac fluid to storage and recycling — and assure people it will all be done in as careful a way as possible.

As to the state’s response to Longmont’s ballot initiative, Colorado is already suing Longmont over earlier oil and gas regulations that were passed by the city in mid-year 2012. That suit is proceeding. Now that the fracturing ban has been made part of the city charter, the state will not sue Longmont again but will support a lawsuit by a party that does have standing. “We are looking to help and support an exploration company that does have leases there,” said Hickenlooper. “I’m sure that will not stand on challenge.”

Hickenlooper’s administration aims to shape a Colorado that has both high environmental standards and a pro-business stance. “I think we can get there in water testing, in well bore integrity, in setbacks for hospitals and schools,” he said. “We have the opportunity to give people the facts and really change the way they think about natural gas and other types of hydrocarbons.”