With oil drilling erupting all along the Front Range, battles are once again raging over just how close wells should be allowed to operate next to homes, farms, businesses and wildlife areas.

Other states have seen similar tensions arise, and in some cases, have responded by expanding setbacks. A group commissioned by the state of Colorado to review the question is expected to issue its findings later this month.

Whether its work helps to turn down the heat remains to be seen.

Established by the state Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, the Setback Stakeholder Group began meeting in May to review the rules amid mounting criticism of existing setback laws by local governments, environmental groups and others.

Setbacks at the moment allow a wellhead to be drilled 350 feet from buildings in urban areas. In less-populated areas, setbacks are 150 feet, or one-and-a-half-times the height of a derrick, whichever is greater. Rural setbacks typically reach about 200 feet because most derricks start at about 130 feet, said Thom Kerr, acting director of the Oil and Gas Conservation Commission.

But those distances have not been enough for some communities. Longmont, among other municipalities, has