A new ad promoting fracking in Colorado features an Elbert County couple who raises goats and farms organically.
The idea of pairing organic farmers and fracking comes from .
“Mineral rights make all the difference to our small organic-based farm,” Michelle Smith says, in the 30-second spot. “Like many Colorado farm-to-table businesses, if we can’t offset operating costs with our minerals, then we’re out of business.”
Colorado is at the epicenter of the debate over fracking, including whether it’s safe and if local communities have the right to adopt bans. Gov. John Hickenlooper is credited to keep fracking measures off the November ballot, but the idea is sure to be revisited when the 2015 legislature opens in January.
Organic farmer Michelle Smith of Elbert County supports fracking in a new ad. (CRED)
Here’s the script for the ad:
Mineral rights make all the difference to our small organic-based farm.
Like many Colorado
farm-to-table businesses, if we can’t offset operating costs with our minerals, then we’re out of business. Organic operations are expensive; people like us rely on those payments for their family’s healthcare or their kids’ education. An attack on fracking is essentially an attack on landowners like us.
Those who would ban fracking ignore our rights and that just gets my goat.
Coloradans for Responsible Energy Development is funded by Anadarko Petroleum Corp. and Noble Energy, .
“Since last September, CRED has been airing television and radio commercials statewide in Colorado as a part of its multi-year education and awareness effort,” said the group’s communications director, Jon Haubert. (CRED) is committed to sharing the facts — and benefits — including all the regulations and enforcement measures already in place around oil and gas development in Colorado.”
Smith is the president of the National Association of Royalty Owners Colorado.
