Re: “Protect our water; don’t waste it on fracking,” September 28, 2018, your reader’s contention that “We don’t have water to waste on fracking” ignores the reality of the energy industry’s water usage in Colorado.

The natural gas and oil industry uses 0.13% of Colorado’s fresh water resources in the hydraulic fracturing process. In contrast, Colorado’s agricultural sector uses over 90 percent of the state’s water, with residential usage comprising a majority of the remainder. Furthermore, advancements in technology and conservation efforts allow the energy industry to recycle a majority of the produced water it uses when procuring natural resources.

Our industry is hardly “wasteful” when it comes to water. Operators happily work in a state with the most robust regulations in the nation. In total, natural gas and oil supports 232,900 Colorado jobs and contributes $31.4 billion in economic impact every year.

Proposition 112 would devastate the state economy and kill nearly 150,000 jobs by 2030, all while doing nothing to address its proponents’ apparent concerns. This measure is a false choice between energy development and water conservation, and voters should reject it.

Tracee Bentley

Colorado Petroleum Council executive director