24 Gas Wells Unanimously Approved Near Bella Elementary

Below is the full text of the Greeley Tribune article, with interesting parts emphasized in red and my comments added in orange.

County commissioners approve Extraction Oil and Gas project near Bella Romero Academy

Sidewalk or no sidewalk? Bella Romero Academy’s lack of sidewalks have been a hot-button issue for years. When the school went up in 2003, the city of Greeley, Greeley-Evans School District 6 and Weld County officials all took notice. Each agency believed another one was responsible for building a sidewalk. The school is just outside Greeley city limits. During a meeting last week, school board officials decided to ask the commissioners to require Extraction Oil and Gas to build a sidewalk while building a nearby oil and gas project. That didn’t go through. One county commissioner said she wouldn’t consider it. Commissioner Barbara Kirkmeyer reminded residents that Weld County attempted to seek a federal grant to build the sidewalk, but no one would pitch in for the funding match. “We were told ‘no’ by the city of Greeley and ‘no’ by the school district,” she sad. “I think they chose to neglect and do nothing for their students.” [What about all that oil revenue for the county and the city? Can some of that not be used to make a sidewalk? What about the oil companies' PR slogan that they want to be a good neighbor? Why would they not volunteer paying for the sidewalk?]

Residents trickled out of the hearing room rolling their eyes and shaking their heads in disappointment as Weld County leaders loudly lauded the oil and gas industry Wednesday. “We don’t have a democracy,” Greeley resident Maydean Worley told the board before she walked out of the ongoing meeting that drew about 100 residents to discuss a planned 24-well oil and gas structure that Extraction Oil and Gas had proposed in east Greeley. Commissioners thanked the industry for lifting its residents out of poverty and providing a brighter economic future for its workers.

Everyone was gathered at the Weld County administration building, 1150 O St., for a hearing on another contested urban oil and gas project. Extraction officials sought a special use permit that would allow the company to build a 24-well pad east of Greeley, near Bella Romero Academy 4-8 Campus, 1400 E. 20th St.  The commissioners unanimously approved it. Extraction will build up to 24 wells on the northeast corner of Cherry Avenue and 24th Street. Because of its access to both oil and natural gas pipeline, electricity and air quality technology, it will be one of the safest sites in the country, said Blane Thingelstad, a petroleum engineer for the company.

Before the public comment session began, Chairman Mike Freeman urged speakers to stay on task, focusing on this specific project. Often, even during this meeting, speakers on both sides got caught up in general energy policy arguments. This is a land use hearing, so instead of enacting new laws, all commissioners do is decide whether the project is appropriate for the area. Nearby resident Barbara Flores pointed to her house on a projected map, showing how close it is to the project site. “I am definitely affected by this monstrosity,” she said.

Residents lamented the project for a multitude of reasons: health risks, especially for nearby school children, pollution and truck traffic. “As a teacher, this bothers me,” said Therese Gilbert, who teaches at Heath Middle School, 2223 16th St. in Greeley. Children’s bodies are still developing, and that makes their lungs and other organs more sensitive to pollution, she said. There are already eight wells in the area, and the project would only bring more. “This would make it 32 within 1,500 feet,” she said. “That is not OK to have that close to kids.”

 Anne Curry-Sanchez, another Greeley resident, pointed out that although the school building is 1,300 feet from the well site, a playground is only about 500 feet away. The state in recent years bolstered its setback requirements, requiring oil and gas activity to be no closer to high-occupancy structures than 1,000 feet; oil and gas structures must be 500 feet away from low-occupancy structures, such as homes.

Wendy Highby is a co-founder of Weld Air and Water, an anti-oil and gas advocacy group for the county. She said weather will affect the levels of pollution near the school, and some days will be worse than others. “Like we have snow days, we would (need to) have high pollution days,” she said. “We are ignoring the public health risks.” It’s tough to pollute areas around here because of the state’s strict environmental regulations, Thingelstad said. “Colorado has some of the best air quality standards in the nation,” he said. 

[I guess Thinglestad is not aware that elevated ozone levels are now the norm here? Access the information at the website of the Colorado Department for Public Health & Environment.It even has this real-time ozone monitoring map


Most residents raised another concern about the location: the streets. They’re worried about having heavy-duty trucks on the roads in the area during constructions and drilling. Not only do they lack sidewalks for Bella Romero students, they’re in bad shape. Alan Herman, who said he worked for the city of Evans in the streets department, lives in the neighborhood. “That road’s not anywhere close to any road standards,” he said. Cars almost have to drive off the pavement to make way for oncoming traffic in some areas.

 Thinglestad touted many of the site’s features he said go above and beyond those regulations: advanced technology that catches any escaping vapors, cell phone apps that let rig operators know in real time if there’s a problem, thicker sound walls and electric access, which cuts the need for loud, diesel-running drilling rigs. “Noise, emissions, diesel traffic … has been mitigated here,” he said. 

Worley was one of the residents who veered into overarching energy policy. “Everyone in Weld County has these chemicals in their body,” she told the board. She called it a case of social and environmental injustice. After many residents showed their anger and disappointment with the board — some with facial expressions, some with snarky remarks — after the public hearing session, the commissioners went off task, as well.

Commissioner Julie Cozad talked about the perceived battle between protection of nature and oil and gas projects. “My degree is in biology and chemistry,” she said. “I study these issues. I think there is a way for industry to coexist.” Many commissioners responded to accusations such as, “You wouldn’t want this in your community.” Three of the five commissioners said they do have oil and gas in their communities. “There’s been no less than 10 rigs in my area,” Commissioner Barbara Kirkmeyer said.

You can contact the commissioners here: Meet the Commissioners

Planning Commission rejects oil wells in west Greeley!

Tribune opinion: 
Denying project in west Greeley smacks of favoritism

The Triple Creek Directional project was the first multi-well oil and gas project denied by the Greeley Planning Commission in recent memory. We have no idea why. What was it about this project that made it so offensive to those on the planning commission? Well, we have a pretty good idea, and it’s an idea that leaves us disturbed.

But let’s take another look at the project first. The facility would be on a 69-acre piece of property surrounded by nine existing well sites. The setbacks would be 1,000 feet, twice the minimum distance required by the state. The company planned to use electric drilling rigs, which eliminate the loud noises that come from the diesel engines of other drilling rigs. The company hoped to put up berms and a sound wall while the wells were drilled and employ a new tool that would help suck up emissions.

We see nothing wrong with the project there. Maybe it’s the fact the project would be near a residential neighborhood. 

Oil and gas facilities have no place near residences, right? Well, actually, in 2013, the commission approved up to 18 wells and 20 tanks near Northridge High School. Another one features 40 wells near 35th Avenue and 4th Street, a location in the heart of residential neighborhoods. In 2014, the commission approved 58 wells on an existing pad near U.S. 85 and U.S. 34, even with neighbors complaining about the pad being too close to a new school and a new subdivision.

 OK, so maybe it’s that this is a new thing to Greeley, and we just haven’t grown used to seeing oil and gas wells. We hope you’re laughing at that last argument. Yes, Greeley is an oil and gas town, just like the county where it sits.

There are around 450 wells throughout Greeley. That’s why we have such a problem with the planning commission rejecting this site. 

Extraction Oil and Gas went well beyond what we’d call reasonable measures to appease the residents who were understandably concerned about their homes. And yet the commission rejected it anyway. Why?

 Well, we can’t find a reason, save for two speculations that leave us troubled. The first is the fact

100 people showed up to squawk about it

and the second is the fact this facility is in an area full of middle-to-upper-class homes. It’s a much nicer area, or at least a richer one, than the site off 11th Avenue near Island Grove Regional Park, where 22 wells were approved in 2011, or the 58 wells near U.S. 85 and U.S. 34. Check out the comments of Planning Commissioner Eddie Mirick, who seems to be making our argument for us, even while he rejected the site.

 “It would be very detrimental to the community in and around the area, who have lived there a long time, enjoy their homes and environment, and contribute greatly to the city and have for years in many ways.” 

 So these people apparently don’t deserve to have wells near their homes because they contribute greatly to the city. So apparently people who contribute greatly to the city, financially or otherwise, should get more of a say about what goes near their homes.

We disagree. Greeley is an oil and gas town. We’ve enjoyed millions in tax dollars from the boom. There’s already several precedents. Therefore, if a company turns in a good proposal for oil wells, one that goes well beyond the state’s requirements to make life easier on the residents,

the commission should approve it, regardless of the influential people who live nearby. 

Otherwise we’re inconsistent, and that’s dangerous.

Inconsistencies encourage homeowners to file lawsuits and inspire hard feelings, and they tend to hurt people with lower incomes the most, because they don’t have the financial resources or the back-slapping connections to shoo away things they don’t want near their home.

The planning commissioners seem to be playing favorites here. We almost hope Extraction will appeal the decision to the Greeley City Council, where the constant threat of being voted out of office helps keep them focused on the whole city, not just those who want special treatment.

 — The Tribune Editorial Board

Source: http://www.greeleytribune.com/news/opinion/20023293-111/tribune-opinion-denying-project-in-west-greeley-smacks

Greeley's Mineral Resources partners with Denver firm

Source: Greeley Tribune article by Sharon Dunn

Greeley’s hometown oil and gas exploration company just got a little less hometown. Officials from Mineral Resources Inc. announced on Monday it had formed a “strategic alliance” with Denver-based Extraction Oil and Gas, a private exploration and drilling firm. Word on the street for the last month has been that the Denver firm put out nine figures to acquire Mineral, but no specific numbers have been confirmed. It’s a move that’s privately getting mixed reviews. Some wonder if the addition of a Denver company will offer new blood to renegotiate proposed Mineral Resources drilling sites that have drawn the ire of some residents. Others wonder how local this new operation could be.

 “I’m glad to hear Extraction has acquired Mineral,” said Trisha Golding, a representative of the Frontier Parent Group, which has resisted Mineral Resources’ efforts to drill more oil and gas wells near the playground of Frontier Elementary in south Greeley. She said the acquisition was confirmed last month to her by officials from the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. “We’re looking forward to working with them,” Golding said of Extraction. “I’m thinking it’ll be better. They’re really looking forward to working with Greeley, and they are already fostering a better conversation with Frontier parents than we’ve had in the past.”

Word about a buyout had been circulating in the oil and gas community for the last month, but officials from both companies would not discuss the deal other than through a news release issued late Monday. Officials from the companies refused to comment any further than the release, and did not return calls from The Tribune or answer questions via email. According to the release, what the “alliance” means is a combination of assets that they say will strengthen a commitment to Greeley and “ensures the support and development of positive initiatives like the use of quieter drilling rigs, reduced traffic and continued environmental stewardship.”

 The release stated that Mineral Resources will continue to work on leasing operations, while Extraction will do the rest, maintaining its Greeley field office. “Extraction represents one of the most logical industry partners we could identify to help us further develop our Greeley area assets,” said Mineral Resources President Arlo Richardson in a news release.

“They are Denver-based with a Greeley office, are a well-capitalized, private company that shares our views on prudent oilfield operations and community responsibility. We value their operational expertise and experience developing horizontal wells in the Wattenberg field. The strategic alliance creates a stronger private-company presence in the Basin, and also provides assurance to our royalty owners, surface owners and the local community that they are working with a respected operator that is highly experienced in the Basin. We value strongly our community, and believe that Extraction aligns with our ideals.”

 Extraction Chairman and CEO Mark Erickson said in the release that many of its employees live in Weld County, “and understand the importance of best-practice operations in their communities. … Both companies understand the nuances of urban operations, and we believe our past operations have helped establish our reputation in the Basin as preferred operators.”

Mineral Resources has been one of two companies drilling inside Greeley city limits in the last couple of years, but they’ve met with resistance from residents, who don’t want such an industrial process so close to neighborhoods and schools. Kristina Bain, secretary of Weld Air and Water, a resident group formed to protect the county’s air and water from oil and gas drilling, said she was a mineral leaseholder on some of Mineral Resources’ proposed wells, and didn’t feel representatives of the company cared enough about residential concerns. She said she thinks Mineral officials “flipped” the company for quick profits. “It just doesn’t sound like a good neighbor,” Bain said, noting strange past dealings with the company changing their lease terms, and methods they used to convince residents to sign off on their mineral rights. “I’m looking at their past behavior, and I don’t know if they care enough to sell to a better operator.” Bain said she knew nothing of Extraction, so she couldn’t comment about what Greeley could see under the new ownership. 

Frontier Parent Group members already have reached out to talk with Extraction officials to find better Greeley drilling locations that are currently suggested by Mineral Resources. Some have said privately they feel that Extraction’s presence will be better; others have privately worried the mix of outside players could spell trouble. Golding said she is hopeful the new blood will be good news. With Mineral Resources being local, she said some parents felt inhibited to speak openly about the drilling plans. “Some of the problems we’ve run into with Frontier Parents is they have personal relationships with Mineral ownership which prevented them from speaking out,” Golding said. “We’re hoping people will feel a little more free, and we’re kind a hoping it’s a new day, and new way of doing business and we’ll have a bit better communication.”

 The process of approval of wells at the Mineral Resources site near Frontier has started from scratch, Golding said. With Mineral’s plan to move the wells, they had to reapply to the state. The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission requires companies to demonstrate they’ve tried all options on suitable locations of multi-well pads to comply with a portion of the law that says multi-well pads should be sited as far away as possible from homes and businesses.

Truly Good Neighbors Look Out for Greeley's Liveable Future

Greeley Tribune guest column by Sara Barwinski:

I’ve been thinking about what it means to be a good neighbor. The Tribune has suggested (“Compromise offers best bet on drilling”) that Mineral Resources has been “neighborly” when they submitted a new application to move their proposed 19 wells and 20 oil tanks a few hundred feet further away from the Frontier Elementary School playground.

Imagine 20 of these near the school! 

The editorial further suggested that Frontier parents were not being “neighborly” because they did not passively and gratefully accept this supposed solution. But Mineral Resources never bothered to first listen to the parent’s concerns when they moved forward with their plan to frack in the heart of Greeley-Evans. They never took the step to inform all parents and have a public forum to receive input and address issues. [remember too that the initial plan called for 67 wells with 32 oil tanks, and 30 separators!]

Instead, they tried to make the problem disappear and generate some positive “good neighbor” public-relations. I’m not sure that many people think that a neighbor who generates 24/7 noise, creates emissions, increases truck traffic, and stores flammable materials in tanks in the middle of a community is a good neighbor. No other industry is allowed to infringe on a community in this way. Special privileges were granted to the oil and gas industry in the days of vertical drilling in order to allow access to minerals.

However, with horizontal drilling, minerals can now be accessed from drill sites up to two miles away. Operators can choose locations that are truly “neighborly” and that are more appropriate for heavy industry. Yes, the wells would now be 1,000 feet from the playground — but the well blow-out in Windsor last year had an impact area of 1,500 feet and took 30 hours to contain. Is it any wonder parents aren’t satisfied?

In addition to the proximity issue, a problem with the intensity of the site remains. Twenty oil tanks? There have been a number of tank fires in the past four months — do we really think we should be making evacuation plans for kindergarteners? When I think of whom I want for a neighbor, I think of someone who looks out not just for themselves but also for their community.

I have heard the Frontier Parent Group voice concerns beyond protecting their kids. They objected to the operator’s decision to simply move the site back because they knew this meant pushing it closer to apartments and to about 500 feet from the Walmart where many people shop. I’ve heard them voice concerns about what the truck traffic will mean for this part of town, especially in light of recent accidents, spills and fatalities. I’ve heard them express concerns about Synergy’s plan to frack behind Centerplace, (behind Kohl’s and new restaurants), and what that means for this growing commercial area and the 1,500 residents of nearby homes and apartments — many of whom live less than 500 feet away.

 I’ve heard them express concern for friends, neighbors and family members who are torn about this issue because of economic considerations. I’ve heard some who have strong ties to oil and gas and fear speaking out, express gratitude to the courageous parents who do so without demonizing others. I’ve heard them express concern about the direction Greeley is headed, knowing some residents have given up and moved away. I‘ve seen them work to find a better way to have responsible oil and gas development and still maintain a livable, healthy community.

They should not be criticized for taking a positive stand for Greeley’s future — they are some of our finest neighbors.

Sara Barwinski is a retired social worker who lives less than 800 feet from the Northridge drill site in Greeley.

Note: Be sure to  Attend hearing: Support Children of Frontier Elementary.on Monday, July 28th.

Tribune to Parents: Stop Fighting Mineral Resources

Photo: tinyurl.com/ogsg9uf 

As if having a governor who does not care about health impacts to our children isn't bad enough, and threatens to do anything to defeat ballot Initiatives 88 and 89, our Greeley Tribune editors add insult to injury! One person I shared the editorial with, responded:

"Sad! Very sad for the editorial board to proclaim you must reciprocate. Tell the Tribune editorial board this is known as the Stockholm syndrome. Being cordial to one's captors... We get the point this is not as bad as it was, but it's still unacceptable to be captured by this industrial giant far too close to our schools. We support initiative #88 to make future wells at least farther away."

Of course, all this push back; the pro fracking television ads from the industry, the threats from the governor, and also this Tribune editorial mean only one thing. Those who favor jobs over the health and well-being of residents and children, are clearly concerned that the majority of people in Colorado are prepared to get these initiatives on the ballot and will also vote in favor of them. As you read the editorial, keep in mind what San Juan residents found in air samples they took themselves, after becoming ill and they could not convince government agencies to respond to their concerns. Find their full report here.

Here's the Tribune's editorial of July 18, 2014

Frontier parents must reciprocate neighborly gesture

 from Mineral Resources 

Sometimes knowing when not to fight is as important as deciding to passionately take up a cause. That’s true for the group of Frontier Academy parents who are continuing their efforts to block a drilling project near the school. In April, the group of parents and like-minded supporters fought against a plan to place 19 wells, 19 separators and 24 tanks on a well pad about 500 feet from Frontier’s playground property line and 800 feet from the school building at 2560 29th St.

In face of the opposition, the energy company, Greeley-based Mineral Resources, halted its plans for the development, and vowed to work to find a new solution. While it is true that Mineral Resources could have sought that solution before the plans became controversial, it’s also true that the company had every legal right to go ahead with the original plan, which had already been given approval by state regulators under older, less stringent setback rules.

The new application is for 19 wells and 20 tanks 1,512 feet away from the school and more than 1,000 feet away from the playground. The application, which was filed in June, has a target date for approval and permitting by the state of Sept. 1. It is in the public feedback phase. All comments must be received by the COGCC by July 28 to be considered.

 We were sympathetic to the concerns raised by the group of Frontier Parents in April. The project struck us as too close for comfort, and we were glad to see Mineral Resources seek an alternative drilling site. Now, Mineral Resources has, at its own expense, moved the drilling site to a distance from the school that exceeds the state’s new tougher requirements. We think that makes a decisive difference. So do regulators, which is why they set the standard — the toughest in the nation — at 1,000 feet.

We don’t blame parents at Frontier for worrying about their children’s safety. But no amount of distance will provide absolute security, and we must work with energy companies, especially when they’ve shown a willingness to be good neighbors. If we don’t, we only remove the incentive for the companies to take such measures. If we’re not willing to be good neighbors, too, the only incentive we leave for the drillers is to press for every advantage the law allows, regardless of local concerns. That’s not good for anyone.

 — The Tribune Editorial Board http://www.greeleytribune.com/news/12258664-113/frontier-mineral-parents-resources

If you want to leave a comment with the COGCC to oppose drilling at the school, click here: South Greeley Directional File # 400604803 to access it. After a few seconds you will be redirected to the correct page, then click on comment on the right, and then on New Comment to add your own. Be sure to copy the code that appears!

If you want to sign the petitions to get initiatives 88 and 89 on the November ballot, please stop by at Centennial Park Library this coming week in the morning hours as some people will be there waiting for you to give you that chance! Read here what they entail.

Mineral Resources Pulls Out Near Frontier,... For Now!

A note from Greeley City Planner Mike Garrott 

"..Mineral Resources has formally withdrawn the South Greeley Directional Project... [T]he hearing will not occur tomorrow [April 22nd] as scheduled. 

If they choose to move forward with another application in the future, they will be required to submit a new application in its entirety."  

This is good news indeed, but Mineral Resources keeps lurking in the background, and the concern for future drilling remains! I just read the following on the Facebook page (FPG) of concerned Frontier parents:

"FPG has been receiving a lot of emails of concern regarding the Tribune article just released. I spoke with Brad Mueller (City of Greeley) and he confirmed Mineral Resources plans on refiling a new application...
This statement is from Tyler Richardson in the email sent to the city withdrawing the proposal.

"...Mineral Resources will explore the concept of altering the configuration of the proposed use in order to increase the distance to the southerly property line of Frontier Academy to a minimum of 1000 feet. If the reconfiguration approval cannot be accomplished, we will reapply under the original USR criteria." . 

Massive Gas Explosion Rocks Area North of Greeley

"The massive explosion at an oil/gas site near Greeley should be a wake-up call about the dangers of fracking within our residential neighborhoods and close to our schools. Numerous large scale sites have been approved in densely populated areas of Greeley (i.e. Kelly Farms and Fox Run Subdivisions). Likewise, Mineral Resources Inc. has applications for a massive site east of the University and another in close proximity to Frontier Academy on 29th street. Why is Greeley so willing to endanger our health and risk a catastrophic event like this in our backyards?" Karen Janata, in a letter to the Editor, and the Greeley City Council

Excerpt from the Greeley Tribune article:

“We see the source as either being static electricity or it appears someone may have parked their truck too close to the tank..” Duane Zavadil, senior vice president of environmental health and safety, regulatory and governmental affairs for Bill Barrett said. “At end of day, the flammable vapors were present as a consequence of oil accumulation.”

Static electricity and possibly a parking violation may be the culprits in a massive explosion and fire at an oil and gas drilling site north of Greeley. Neighbors were rocked out of their beds around 11:20 p.m. Monday [March 3], when an explosion shook their doors. The subsequent fire could be seen for miles.

“We were getting ready for bed and the whole house shook,” said Liz Hergert, a resident in the area. Her husband drove up the road a bit and snapped several pictures of the fire, which was offset from the drilling site at some storage tanks. The fire occurred at a Bill Barrett Corp. drilling site a couple of miles west of Lucerne in the area of Weld County roads 27 and 70.

Two workers received minor injuries and were treated on scene... There was no resulting damage to neighboring property, and the storage tanks held up well, Duane Zavadil said.

“It was down in a hole, at a lower elevation, so any nearby houses were up and over a hill. Thankfully, we didn’t have to really worry about that.” ~ Eaton Fire Capt. Michael Lenderink. .

Zavadil said the incident is being investigated so officials can learn from it and prevent a second occurrence. “Our management will tell you ... there is no such thing as an accident,” Zavadil said. “Ultimately, we’d consider it something that is mitigable, that we’re not going to just simply say it was a freak spark, or someone parked too close. There’s something to be learned from this circumstance that we’ll be reacting to.” He added, “We don’t ascribe any accident to bad luck. They’re all things we think we can improve on and learn from.”

A Column the Greeley Tribune Refused to Publish

Here is the submission to the Greeley Tribune by Rachel Gilbert. It was refused on grounds that it was too long for a letter. But, when Rachel let editor, Randy Bangert, know she would like to submit it as a column, he was not willing to concede, saying they are bombarded with election letters and have a hard time getting them all in.

"Feel free to send it to others. And of course you don’t need my permission to do that anyway. Thank you, -- Randy Bangert"

"Last March 12, I attended a City Planning Commission hearing regarding the permitting of 22 hydraulic fractured wells just north of the Fox Run neighborhood. Throughout the hearing, residents of the Fox Run neighborhood expressed their concerns about the appropriateness of the wells so near their neighborhood, while the oil and gas producer attempted to quell their anxieties with promises of dirt berms and shrubbery.

As I remember, the aesthetic properties of several species of shrubbery were discussed, as was the noise pollution associated with a 24/7 drilling project. However, it was the topographical map of the development that caught my eye. I noted the elevation of the site, and how the wells would be located in the Cache La Poudre watershed.

 I then asked the commission: where were the objective third-party assessments for 100-year or even 20-year flood risk? Neither side had addressed this aspect; as though the possibility of a catastrophic flood in our arid climate was too remote to consider. My concern was ignored, and the motion to drill these wells was unanimously approved by Greeley City Council on May 7, 2013.

Four months later, the rains came. Colorado saw the worst floods since 1976. Tisha Schuller,  COGA President and CEO, misled the public, saying there were absolutely no leakages from oil and gas wells during the flood.

Eyewitness accounts, including my own, observed a different reality. Some wells were leaning or bobbing like huge, insane corks in the moving water. Were they leaking crude oil? Or maybe toxic produced water? It was a chilling sight, and I dreaded the news to come.

Now, receding waters have allowed experts to comprehensively assess the damage. Two weeks ago, state officials discovered a fifteenth well that had spilled into the South Platte River during the floods. This discovery brings the total estimated amount of oil and gas spilled into the Platte to approximately 43,000 gallons.

These highly toxic and flammable gallons of spilled oil may seem like “small potatoes” to some, but they degrade much slower than the biohazards caused by human waste. In addition to the leaked oil, experts estimate that over 26,000 gallons of “produced water” also spilled into the Platte (COGA). This wastewater is the product of the hydraulic fracturing drilling process, and may be much more hazardous than the spilled oil.

Though “produced water” sounds harmless, it contains not only residuals of oil and gas, but many toxic chemicals. Benzene and ethyl-benzene are known to mutate human DNA; they are especially harmful to unborn babies because they can cause birth defects when absorbed into the mother’s bloodstream. Benzene is a known carcinogen in humans; it can cause lymphoma and other blood cancers. Ethyl-benzene, xylene, and toluene are toxic to human blood, kidneys, liver, and the central nervous system.

If the presence of these chemicals is not alarming enough, produced water often contains arsenic, chromium, boron, barium, and other heavy metals that are hazardous when ingested. While farmers are justly concerned about possible contamination from leaked sewage, these metals do not break down naturally like human waste does.

 Since its inception as Union Colony, Greeley’s farsightedness with regard to water has been one of very careful stewardship. We have set ourselves apart in defining prior appropriation laws, and our municipal wastewater processing plant has state-of-the-art technology. Greeley has water resources that other Front Range communities openly covet. Water is our legacy, and we are poisoning that legacy by allowing oil and gas wells where they clearly do not belong."

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Here an impression of who Tisha Schuller is. Comments taken from her blog,  Red Tie, Green Heels.

"..As our personal story unraveled, a public one of oil and gas safety evolved as well, spurred on by unrelenting fractivists delighted by the opportunity to create a national story out of half-truths and straight up lies. Despite rumors of everything from massive toxic waste spills (never happened) to tens of thousands of lost wells (that didn't happen either), Colorado's oil and gas industry proved itself extraordinarily prepared, able to respond in real time, and deeply committed to Colorado’s recovery now, and for the long haul. 

The vast majority of sites had no spills. Six hundred sites were safely put back online within a few days, leaving 1,300 wells shut in. And spill volumes were tiny when put in context: Hundreds of billions of gallons of rainwater 220 million gallons of raw and partially treated sewage 45,000 gallons of oil and gas. 

I still find myself wondering why fractivists were so eager for a massive environmental disaster when so many families were and are still experiencing real tragedies." 

Fight over Synergy drill site expansion in Greeley continues

From the Greeley Tribune, September 5, 2013

By Analisa Romero

The Greeley City Council approved the expansion of a Synergy Resources Inc. well site near Northridge High School late Tuesday, but opponents of the expansion say the fight isn’t over. In some respects, they may have made headway. Two Greeley City Council members voted against the expansion of the drill site on Tuesday, signaling a slight shift from the council’s historically unified stance that the city can’t interfere with an oil and gas company’s access to its mineral rights.

The city council upheld the Greeley Planning Commission’s decision to allow Synergy to add three wells and several dozen more water and oil tanks on the 12.5-acre site near 4th Street and 66th Avenue. Because the council was hearing an appeal of the planning commission’s decision, the council upheld that decision based on whether the planning commission followed proper procedures in its own approval process.

Council members, including Mike Finn, said they would like to continue the dialogue brought up during the appeal regarding the city’s development codes related to oil and gas. In the meantime, the Sierra Club, a national environmental group with an office in Boulder, is urging Gov. John Hickenlooper to halt the Synergy expansion permit at the state level.

In coordination with Weld Air and Water, a group with members who appealed the Synergy expansion at the city council hearing on Tuesday, the Sierra Club sent a letter to Hickenlooper in the hopes that the state will stop “rubber stamping” permits for large oil and gas operations. Lauren Swain, chairwoman of the newly created Beyond Oil & Gas Team for the Sierra Club Rocky Mountain Chapter, said the Sierra Club would like the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission to reassess its setback rules, which she said are still inadequate.

 “I think there’s a bigger principle at play here,” she said of the fight to stop the Synergy expansion. Craig Rasmuson, vice president of operations and production at Synergy, said his company has worked closely with the COGCC on some recommended conditions of approval to be good neighbors and to ensure public health while the company is drilling. 

Synergy will monitor air quality every month, conduct baseline water samples near Sheep Draw before and after drilling, put up a 30-foot sound barrier, reduce dust with a hi-tech vacuum, and ensure all new equipment on site is automated, which helps to reduce human error. Rasmuson said he is finalizing the wording of that agreement now, and that Synergy expects a permit from the COGCC within the week. 

He said Synergy didn’t have to agree to any of those conditions but went above and beyond what was required. “I truly feel like we have done our part, and I feel like (COGCC) Director (Matt) Lepore would communicate that to the governor’s office,” Rasmuson said. 

Sara Barwinski, a member of Weld Air and Water who spearheaded the appeal of the Synergy drill site expansion, said she, too, hopes to change how oil and gas permits are handled even if the Synergy site expansion goes through. She said she wants to see the city include conditions of approval for well sites that don’t interfere with state regulations, a concern that city council members cite as a reason not to regulate oil and gas beyond what the state has in place. In 1992, Greeley lost a Colorado Supreme Court case when the city tried to ban drilling. 

Barwinski said she was encouraged by the two dissenting voices on the city council — members Donna Sapienza and Sandi Elder — who voted against the expansion. Elder said she was not bothered by similar drilling activities that went on at the Aims Community College campus and near her home, and trusts that Synergy will go above and beyond state regulations to ensure public health and safety, but she said she wasn’t comfortable with the amount of equipment permitted for the site. Sapienza said the proximity of a high school, the Sheep Draw Trail and a subdivision to the drill site concerned her.

Dunn's Done it Again!

Tribune reporter Sharon Dunn's article below shows bias for the gas and oil industry. Just compare it to what Bobby Magill wrote on the same subject for the Coloradoan .See: Fracking critics scaring public.
At least he shared the questionable comments by both Matt Lepore, the director of the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, and Weld County commissioner Barbara Kirkmeyer. Dunn shared none!! 

Just as with the Health Forum on the Effects of Hydraulic Fracturing, when Dunn chose to leave out important information, like the dangers of ground level ozone, she this time, ignored Kirkmeyer's accusation that people with concerns about fracking,

"are trying to scare the crap out of everybody with the wrong facts and making things up".

 Dunn should have taken issue with that remark, considering it is Kirkmeyer herself who makes things up, claiming that groundwater is not being contaminated, when a presentation on the COGCC website clearly acknowledges that it has! See 2012 Fracking Spills.

(By Sharon Dunn)
LOVELAND — Fossil fuels will be the chief way America and the world will get its energy for years, and those in the industry must strike a balance between the incredible growth that is propping up the economy and the environmental concerns that follow, said the American Petroleum Institute’s senior economic adviser, Rayola Sougher. “What’s happening here is absolutely phenomenal,” Sougher said in an interview prior to her keynote address at the Energy Summit put on Tuesday by the Northern Colorado Business Report at the Ranch in Loveland.

“But there seems to be a big divide between the ... environmentalists and the oil developers. But they’re not mutually exclusive. We can do both. Everyone in the community has to hold the industry to the highest standards. That should not be negotiable.” The importance of the industry and continued innovation in extracting the resources has proven to be a powerful ally for the United States, not only politically, but for jobs and taxes that have helped build more wealth in the country, she said.

 In fact, America is experiencing a “stunning” energy revolution that is on pace to see the United States become a world leader and net exporter of oil and gas, some say as soon as 2030. “We were accustomed for decades of thinking that we had less oil, and have been making energy policy on that assumption. That entire vision has changed,” Sougher said. “There are millions of new jobs, a great deal of government revenue and it is enhancing energy security.” Last year alone, the United States put 1 million extra barrels of oil on the international market. That has translated to some of the best energy prices in the country, she said, saving American families roughly $926 a year in home energy costs.

 In the last decade, Colorado has seen a six-fold growth in natural gas production and triple the growth in crude oil production. In Colorado, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the average energy bills here are 23 percent less than the rest of the nation, largely because of natural gas, Sougher said. “When you add up what you would have been spending, were it not for this technology, it has important repercussions for the family budget,” Sougher said. The technology she speaks of is the advent of hydraulic fracturing coupled with horizontal drilling to get at the resources trapped in the tight shale rock a mile beneath the ground.

She said continued innovation will only enhance production, and likewise enhance job growth. Sougher said this “unconventional drilling,” alone, is responsible for 1.7 million jobs across the country. “And by the end of this decade, that will be 3 million,” Sougher said. “It’s a significant driver of economic growth.” As an example, she pointed to the average wage in the oil fields of $116,000 — 91 percent above Colorado’s average wage. The industry also pumped $1.4 billion into the Colorado economy in taxes in 2011, equivalent to 15 percent of the state’s tax revenue.

 Sougher advocated for more development across the country to keep these numbers high, especially in offshore areas. She also advocated for completion of the XL Pipeline, a pipeline from Canada to the southern links of America’s oil trade hubs, which has been under scrutiny for five years. With more Canadian and U.S. oil entering into the international framework, she said, energy prices will stabilize, even when not-so-stable nations threaten the world’s oil supply.

 At the same time, she said, the industry must work in concert with government officials and residents concerned about safety. She said the industry, too, shares concerns about the environment. They’ve been stewards of best practices since World War I, she said. “We’re on a path now, because of a lot of these breakthroughs, to have 5 percent fewer emissions in 2040 than we had in our peak of 2005,” Sougher said. “A large part of that is the shift more toward natural gas and energy efficiencies. A good part of the credit has to do with technologic innovations.”