Agenda - 11-16-15 Reg. Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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099 (22) The Board finds it necessary to provide for additional time to study the impact of hydraulic fracturing and other oil and gas development activities that have been experienced in other states and to determine the adequacy of applicable State and federal regulatory programs in regulating and mitigating such impacts in Lee County's particular natural and man-made environment, and to consider enactment of any appropriate additional best management practices to properly address such impacts; and, (23) In addition to the need to further study hydraulic fracturing, the Board further finds it necessary to provide for additional time to study traditional mining and the impacts, financial, environmental, socio-economic, and other, of both hydras cturing and mining on the County's roads and other infrastructure and services and*Vetermine the financial damages that may result to the County, its citizens and residents, a.. (24) The County has already initiated the prod,of revising a' I dating its land use plan to consider whether, and to what extent the imbacts of hydraulic fracturing and traditional mining will impact zoning, and the appropriate zones in which such use is app riate, which process is scheduled for completion in approximately 2,Lonths. Zoning for oil ar /i development and mining and developing standards for appropriate County penits should bene in coordination with this update, zoning ordinance; WHEREAS, the Board of CommisAnergoft/te County has considered the following actions to address the problems or conditions set fort�bove a _found them -tea be inadequate: (1) The Board has considered taking no action a itrelatexAQ planning and zoning for hydraulic fracturing and mining. However there are serous questions, for the reasons stated herein, whether the current state and federal regulations are adequate to protect the County's interests and the interests of.its citizens, and, therefoe " it is not in the best interest of the County to allow,z6fi and gas development activities without'further study and appropriate local regulation. fhe county's d Development Ordinance does not, by itself, act as an adequate regulatory tool because it would either allow or not allow oil and gas development within ,. designated zones without the necessary information regarding the location of the oil or gas reserves, Furthermore, in zones where it would be allowed as an industrial use, there must be standards specific to oil and gas development because of its highly unusual nature. This is a circumstance for which conditional use zoning may be appropriate to provide circumstance- and location-specific,t�ulationsto ensure the public health and the safety of the residents of Lee '11i„ , County are protected'' (3) It has been several years since the last Land Use Plan was developed, and due to changes in the County due to expansion of industry and residential housing, it is necessary to further study the impacts of traditional mining so zoning reflects the proper areas in which such industry should operate. (4) Other existing County ordinances generally applicable to development such as erosion and sedimentation control, water supply watershed regulations, setbacks and buffers regulate only specific, limited impacts and are not adequate to regulate the wide range of impacts of oil and gas development.