"Oil & Gas Development Key to U.S. Future," Write Rebecca Watson and Don Smith in Christian Science Monitor Opinion Piece

Oil and gas development using fracking and horizontal drilling will support U.S. energy security and benefit the national economy, according to an opinion piece co-authored by Rebecca Watson, former Assistant Secretary of the Interior and Denver Law graduate, and Don Smith, director of the Environmental and Natural Resources Law program.

 "Fracking, or more broadly, oil and gas development, is an industrial activity and can cause negative environmental effects," Ms. Watson and Mr. Smith wrote in the piece published October 23,2013, in The Christian Science Monitor.  "But many modern industrial and everyday activities have environmental or human health risks.  The reasonable response is sensible regulation, at both the federal and state level, rather than wholesale bans."

Ms.Watson, a Denver energy and land-access lawyer, is a shareholder with Welborn Sullivan Meck &Tooley, P.C. in Denver.

The Christian Science Monitor is considered one of the nation's leading publications and is read by opinion makers across the U.S. and the world.  Click here to read the entire opinion piece.