task force jan 2015 presentation.pdf

Presenters:

Therese Gilbert, Trisha Golding and Gene Moore

Link to the audio recording for the January 15, 2015 Task Force meeting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHdp7VVdT0k&feature=youtu.be

This group presentation starts at approximately 6:51:10.

Presenter: Therese Gilbert

Good afternoon and let me thank you for hearing our testimony today. My name is Therese Gilbert and I am a 22 year resident of Greeley. I am a teacher. My family has been in CO since the 1880’s – dry land farming east of La Junta. They survived the Dust Bowl and made CO their home. As a 4th generation Coloradan I appreciate of the precious resources we have in CO and I treasure the invaluable beauty of this state.

1Presented 1/15/15 to the Oil and Gas Task Force at the meeting held in Greeley, CO

Here we see the oil & gas development along the Front Range.

Denver is down in the left hand corner here. The arrow is pointing at the City of Greeley. All of the red dots are existing drilled wells, the green dots are show locations that have been permitted.


Here we are getting closer Greeley, referred to as the “Donut Hole”, where I live. There are currently 22,000 producing active wells in weld county.


And here we are. This map shows the city of Greeley. We have about 500 active wells in the city and many more that have been permitted. Keep in mind that there are twice that many within Greeley’s growth boundaries – tucked within a few hundred feet of the city limits.


And here was the site of the well proposed with 8 blocks of my house.

Five or six years ago friends of mine shared that they had leased their land and water rights to a fracking company on their family farm in rural Weld County. At that time I figured this was their choice – making a little extra $ off the family farm – but I was becoming aware that there had been problems with the process: I heard stories of water contamination, air pollution, and not all were happy with this kind of development.

I attended a school board meeting Dec. 2011, where it was decided to lease multiple school sites to a producer who conveniently sat on the school board at the time. There was no discussion. I then learned that UNC had also signed leases prior to the school district and within a few weeks I received my lease offer in the mail.


Now, understand, I never knew I even owned mineral rights. Who knew? I live in the historic part of Greeley, a neighborhood of homes built in the early 1900’s. I remember getting in my car and driving by the proposed location; a small postage –sized piece of land right smack in the middle of town 8 blocks from my house. I just couldn’t believe how 37 wells with tanks, separators, equipment and semis were possibly going to fit on this little piece of land within 300 feet of the train tracks, 350 feet of low income apartments along a 2 lane road just 3 blocks from a busy intersection! I would drive by multiple times trying to make sense of the project. It seemed ludicrous!


Here you see even better the location; completely surrounded by residences. It was cheaper for the producer to chose this site because they were the surface owners.

So, I went online and started doing research trying to learn about the process. I knocked on my neighbor's doors, went to city council meetings to voice my concern about placing such a heavy industrial project right in the middle of a residential neighborhood – only to learn that there were quite a few wells already drilled in town and many more planned.


Drilling in dense residential areas became a niche market for some producers; they dared go where others would not and residents took the risk while they pulled the profit.

This map shows the multi‐well production facilities that have recently been approved in our city.


Here we see a multi well site within a few hundred feet of our National Heritage site ‐ so many wells placed right within water sheds that drain into the Poudre and Platte Rivers. You really can't take a walk or bike ride along the Poudre Trail without seeing many of the beautiful condensate tanks doting the landscape. But if aesthetic considerations were our only complaint, we would be satisfied with “berms and shrubbery” hiding the ugliness. But it’s more serious than that. There are serious data gaps on how living close to so many wells impacts our health. It’s what we can’t see that can hurt us.


Again and again I heard the refrain “there’s nothing you can do about it”. This is the difficulty posed by pre‐emption:‐‐especially since Greeley lost the Lundvall‐Voss lawsuit in 1992. There is a common perception by local government that nothing that can be done to stop approved sites.

So as neighbors we met and organized. We spent countless hours canvassing neighborhoods that were about to be fracked– translating documents into Spanish to ensure that residents would be notified and informed about drilling projects planned in their backyards. We attended every planning commission hearing. We made appeals to the city council. We did our research, held public forums and became watchdogs for our community. This was how our organization, Weld Air and Water, was born.


We achieved a small victory with the Mid‐town site. After two years of citizen pressure the producer moved the wells to an industrial‐zoned location far more appropriate to the activity. They were still able to access all their minerals from the new site. Understand, mitigations like electric rigs, sound walls, and shrubbery maybe helpful, but these cannot compensate for wells placed in inappropriate locations! This can and should be avoided by regulations that make advanced comprehensive planning between industry and state and local government a required practice.


Recently I went to the school board when I learned of a video on YouTube that showed volatile organic compounds leaking from the condensate tanks near the high school where I worked.

You can see that the tanks, highlighted in green, are within 400ft of the track.


Now, when I say near the high school, this picture of the graduation ceremony in May last year shows you just how close these wells have been placed right next to our schools.


[ video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GN_ABMiCQCk ]

This big plume is filled with VOC’s. It wafts close to the ground where we breathe. VOC’s are heavier carbon compounds that do not dissipate very quickly. The thermographer has followed these plumes for miles.

The community was promised by COGCC and the operator that these wells would have "state of the art" technology capable of capturing 98% of VOC's as a condition of their approval. Now, only months after they were drilled and fracked we have this video, taken by a certified thermographer, showing leaking toxins spewing out of the tanks. How can we be reassured that these wells pose no risk to our health and safety when we are told these leaks are “acceptable” by COGCC! That they occur multiple times a day whenever they pull product?!? We are NOT reassured. Regulations may be in place, but without monitoring, what is the point?


Presenter Trisha Golding:

I appreciate the efforts of the task force to try and find balance between industry and residential communities.

I am a resident of Greeley, I live a little over 1,500ft from multi‐well pad, I am Mom to a daughter who attends Frontier Elementary School, and I am also a part of the steering committee for FPG – Frontier Parent Group, who formed after learning of a proposed multi‐well and tank site behind the Frontier Academy elementary school playground. I by chance, found out about this proposal after it had been approved by COGCC on May 30, 2014 and it was two weeks away from going to the public hearing with the city of Greeley.

The proposal was for 67 wells, 32 tanks, 350 ft away from the playground. 350 ft away from the fence that my daughter plays by every day at recess.

I was shocked that such a massive industrial multi‐well complex could possibly be approved at this location near our school and next to homes and businesses.


This picture shows what the configuration of 67 wells would have looked like.

I truly thought there must be some mistake and spent the next few days frantically researching, only to discover that it was not a mistake, it was approved and no one told parents; not COGCC, not our city, and not our school. Sadly there is no legal requirement for us to be informed because we are not the property owners, even though it is our children who are being asked to assume all the unacceptable risks associated with an industrial site just feet from our playground, along with adjacent residents and businesses.


Parents and community members have had to take almost a year of our time fighting this proposal. In June 2014, the operator submitted a new location assessment to COGCC, with the site being marginally reconfigured and slightly moved back from the school. This still does not solve the problems of noise, industrial traffic, health and safety risks for our school and it created additional problems by moving it closer to businesses and homes, especially considering the eight recent oil and gas related emergencies in Weld County.


Frederick: April 2014, three units responded to an oil storage tank fire. A nearby school was asked to shelter in place.


The 2013 well blow‐out in Windsor spewed over 1,500ft and took 30 hours to contain. The Weld County Emergency Management Director (Roy Rudisill) stated, “If the well had been drilled closer than 1,500 feet from homes, it would have been a greater hazard to people.”

In the case of my daughter’s elementary school, the playground is 1,000ft from the drill site. I would hope that when the task force looks at distance between multi‐well sites and high occupancy buildings, it is also recognized there are sensitive outdoor areas that are a part of these structures that need to be considered. Our children are most vulnerable when they are out at recess. We have many students with asthma and other health concerns.


This is a picture from the Greeley Tribune of the Lucerne fire in March 2014. It took 18 firefighters from three municipalities four hours to bring it under control. Our school already practices drills for an armed intruder, fires and tornados. Now they are being faced with adding an industrial accident to the list. Thankfully, this incident happened at a site that provided an adequate setback from homes. Accidents do happen and one this close to the school and the surrounding businesses and homes could quickly become a terrible tragedy. Distance matters.


COGCC Commissioner DeAnne Craig stated on August 7th at the Longmont hearing, there are many concerns and risks associated with multi‐well sites that were not properly addressed the last time COGCC went through setback discussions. She also said, “To me, this is about safety. This is about making sure you don’t lose control of several wells, and distance, distance is going to really matter. Particularly if you are in a populated area.” COGCC Rule 604.c.(2)(e)(i) states that “multi‐well sites need to be as far as possible from occupied structures”. It is a good starting point to address the issue, but further measures need to be put in place.


COGCC recently amended their location assessment applications requesting justification from operators on multi‐well site placement, but additional sites continue to be proposed that are not “as far as possible” from occupied structures. This location is in Windsor, called the Pace Pad, and is planned for 28 wells, 45 tanks and other related equipment. There are alternate locations available for this to be sited, but the operator has chosen to place it in the middle of two subdivisions. This is why we need greater setbacks with advanced planning. COGCC needs to enforce the “as far as possible” rule and reject these types of sites.


The City and the State play the finger pointing game of not wanting to be sued by each other or the operator. In the meantime, it is our children and the community who are put in potentially harmful situations and face having a highly industrial neighbor. We have spoken to larger operators who have said they would not drill these locations. No other industry would be allowed to locate in these sensitive areas, but oil and gas is granted exceptions. When poor plans are approved it creates a backlash for the entire oil and gas industry. Responsible drilling begins with appropriate locations and practicing more comprehensive planning. Mitigations do not make a bad location good.


As a Mom, when my children are at school, I want them to be surrounded by an environment that does not subject them to unnecessary risks or disturbances from noise, dust, emissions, and industrial traffic. Children spend seven hours at their school each day, trying to learn and enrich their lives. They deserve to be safe and their health and welfare protected. Our community should not be fractured by large industrial operations with multi‐wells and tanks being located in the middle of businesses, shopping districts, homes and schools.


Presenter: Gene Moore

Greeley resident, former navy corpsman and respiratory therapist. Lives in the Center of Greeley 360ft away from a proposed multi‐well site.


Proposed Gilbert site. Surrounded by residential communities, businesses, a park and a school. The haul route goes by Greeley West High school on 24th street. High school students travel this road multiple times a day. This is a limited income area, there are residents traveling this road on motorized scooters, many in this area are handicapped.


Proposed 360ft away from low‐income housing, less than 500 ftfrom homes. The site has been approved by COGCC for 16 wells, 40 tanks and related equipment.


Residents will be exposed to emissions in close proximity. There are residents who are on oxygen and have other health concerns.


Distance Matters. In this instance distance equates directly to time; reaction time, escape time, and dissipation time. People living in this apartment complex do not have the luxury of jumping in their car and driving away. Some require extensive support to leave their residence.

Our greatest resource in this State is not found under the ground. Its found on the streets, in the school yards, and in the buildings surrounding these sites. That is where our future lies, not underground.


Presenter: Therese Gilbert

In conclusion, we live in Greeley, we get it. We understand that oil and gas is a part of our community. We recognize that oil and gas can not be excluded entirely from our energy portfolio at this time, as long as airlines have to fly and 18‐wheelers have to get over mountain passes. We should not be forced to take on the unnecessary risks of having these wells placed so close to where we live and breathe. We should not be the guinea pigs in this experiment as long as data gaps exist regarding the health impacts of living in such close proximity to these wells, leaking wells, and the industrial activity that accompanies them.

In Greeley we did gather over 23,000 signatures on proposals 88 and 89.


We need to remember the cumulative effects. This is a view looking west towards the mountains, which are hidden behind that brown cloud.


Traveling 40 minutes south of Greeley we can finally begin to see the mountains again.


The effects of fracking are ongoing for those of us living by the wells. We believe that we need to do better, we can do better and we will do better together.


task force jan 2015 presentation.pdf

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