I live in Firestone and could potentially be a live participant – or maybe a guinea pig? – in a test to see whether or not regulators follow the new state law and put public health and safety first. Will the regulator protect David or Goliath?

Kerr-McGee, which is owned by one of the largest oil and gas companies in the country, is asking state regulators at the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) to approve a permit so the company can drill 33 new wells within Firestone city limits. The COGCC temporarily delayed the permitting decision and is expected to make a decision in just a few days.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) has recommended the Commission deny the project under new regulations (passed in 2019) specifically because of the health and safety impacts to nearby residents. CDPHE also provided several conditions for approval  in an attempt to make the new development safer, but recognized at the hearing, that no conditions can make this safe. COGCC has delayed issuing the permits to review the issues in more depth. That additional time to review should lead to only one conclusion: deny the permits.

Several years ago, Gov. Jared Polis signed into law significant changes to oil and gas regulations. These changes were for the first time ever shifting the permitting process from “drill baby drill” to a public health and safety-first approach. Our neighborhood in Firestone is a part of a troubling trend. People like my husband and I move to this state for all sorts of reasons: jobs, access to the outdoors, quality of life. Unfortunately, we’re all learning the hard way that oil and gas wells can pop up where they’re least expected – even in your backyard.

The new rules were supposed to keep oil and gas development at safe distances from people and places as well as require additional health and safety best practices to protect public health and the environment. With this application, Coloradans will find out whether or not these new rules actually do anything or if the work that went into passing laws and regulations was wasted.

Part of the COGCC’s new regulations prohibit oil and gas development from being located within 2,000 feet of homes, schools and other occupied buildings. There are nearly 100 homes within 2,000 feet of the proposed area – mine is among them – and one of the homes is only about 700 feet away. Kerr-McGee is asking for the COGCC to approve the project regardless of the new regulations prohibiting projects this close to people.

The COGCC should deny this project. The experiences of our neighbors in Broomfield and up down the Front Range made one thing clear: no amount of best-management practices or conditions can make development like this safe. This project is the reason Colorado adopted new oil and gas regulations for resource extraction. Nothing about this project is good for public health and safety and would put up a disappointing “business as usual” sign coming from state regulators and Governor Polis.

The Governor is rightfully proud of his administration’s work on reducing neighborhood drilling, but this application is a classic example of what he has stood up against. I still hold out hope for David in this battle, but I’m worried that Goliath notches this win.

Kathleen Scott

Firestone