COLORADO SPRINGS - Legislation introduced in Congress last week would open lands across Colorado and the rest of the nation to the controversial practice known as fracking.



Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colo., held hearings Friday on the PIONEERS Act, which would decrease regulations for fracking operations - allowing the development of up to 1.5 trillion gallons of oil shale, a source of natural gas.



However, a new report from the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) finds that not enough is known about the potential impacts of the process on land and water.



Avid hunter Neil Thalgard, energy initiative manager for the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, usually hunts on public lands in the West - and says energy development and the decline of wildlife habitats seem to go hand-in-hand.



"Don't take my word for it. Review the abundance of research that shows the severe decline in such species as mule deer and sage grouse where development has been allowed to proceed without adequate checks and balances."



The NWF report acknowledges that fracking can be less polluting than traditional sources such as oil or coal extraction. It recommends responsible development which takes into account both energy needs and wildlife protections.



Lamborn says his bill will remove regulations which restrict exploration or development of safe fracking technology. He says oil shale has a huge upside.



"That would mean a lot of jobs. That would mean more energy out on the market, which helps consumers because expenses would be lower and it would be more money to the state and federal government."



Thalgard says any decision needs to be based in solid science.



"The sportsmen's community, we advocate true multiple use and sustained yield of public-lands resources which includes energy production, but we have to maintain sustainable fish and wildlife populations."



Meanwhile, the Environmental Protection Agency has extended its public comments period on a policy establishing fracking standards through the end of the month.



The NWF report is online at nwf.org.