The Eagle city council listened to both sides on a possible oil and gas ordinance that was put together by a citizens group who is worried about future drilling around Eagle and the surrounding area.
Shelly Brock the president of Citizens Allied for Integrity and Accountability said that by law they can't prohibit drilling, but she's been working for years to regulations established that will protect property owners.
"We just want to make sure we put good safeguards in place," said Brock. "Oil and gas operations across the nation are historically dangerous there are a lot of risks that come with it."
However, Mick Thomas the Oil and Gas Division Administrator at the Idaho Department of Lands said that there have been no permits, no leases and no interest in operations in Eagle or Ada County.
Thomas said that fracking, a method used to extract oil and gas from shale would not work in Idaho because of the geography and that it would yield more sand than anything else.
Brock has her suspicions about future drilling in the area and said that this ordinance would help Eagle get out in front of any operations that she believes is coming and dozens of people spoke out in favor of the ordinance citing concerns over the environment, water and quality of life in Eagle.
"He (Thomas) was incorrect when he said there were no leases in Eagle, we have maps showing plenty of leases, 3,600 acres," said Brock.
Thomas said that the only place viable for oil operations in the state is over in Payette County, but Brock thinks that oil companies have their eye on the entire Snake River basin.
The council will make a decision on the proposed ordinance in a special meeting, a date has not been set for that as of now.
