Environmental mishaps precede round of hearings

By Todd Hartman, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Originally published 05:56 p.m., July 14, 2008
Updated 11:53 p.m., July 14, 2008

A rash of environmental mishaps has come at a bad time for Colorado's oil and gas industry.

Regulators have cited five drillers for links to recent water contamination on the Western Slope, just as the industry gears up for the last round of hearings on rules that would toughen state oversight of energy companies' impacts on water, wildlife and health.

In the most serious case, benzene, a cancer-causing chemical, was discovered in a man's drinking water well northwest of Parachute, state records show. The man reportedly complained of a burning sensation in his throat after drinking from the well and sought treatment at a hospital.

In two other cases, waste associated with drilling for natural gas was discovered in several springs northwest of Parachute. Then, late last month, a truck servicing energy companies rolled into the Colorado River and sank. The truck was empty, but authorities believe some diesel fuel made it into the river.

Activists and environmental groups have seized on these cases, and other issues, to argue that the booming industry is outgrowing existing regulations and that updated rules crafted by the state's Oil and Gas Conservation Commission are needed.

"I would say that they pretty clearly point to the need for regulation," said Joyce Wizel, a Rifle Middle School science teacher and secretary for the Grand Valley Citizens Alliance, an activist group. "We have this new wave of industrial sites moving in."

The president of the Colorado Oil & Gas Association, an industry trade group, suggested it was too early to tie the recent mishaps to the rule-making.

"Until the cause of these incidents has been identified and investigated, it is not appropriate to draw any conclusions, even preliminary, about what these incidents mean with respect to existing or proposed rules," COGA president Meg Collins said in a prepared statement.

Some companies involved in the spills noted that they have taken several steps even before it's clear that they're at fault.

A spokeswoman for Williams, one of four companies receiving a notice of an alleged violation, told the Grand Junction Sentinel that it gave the man in the drinking water case bottled water and more than 9,000 gallons of fresh water to flush out his water system.

Debbie Baldwin, a regulator overseeing the industry for the state's Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, said the recent cases are considered "very serious." She said cases in which a person is sickened from drinking industry-tainted water are rare.

"There are very simple rules (for the energy industry): You cannot impact waters of the state," Baldwin said.

In arguing against some of the new regulations, including those that limit drilling near water bodies, COGA and some companies have complained they'll threaten jobs that have given the region an economic boost even as the national economy slumps.

hartmant@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5048

Next round today

* Another round of hearings on proposed new environmental rules for the oil and gas industry in Colorado begins today at 8 a.m. in Ballroom B of the Brown Palace, 321 17th St. in Denver. The hearings before the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission are expected to continue through Thursday or Friday.

* The commission will deliberate in public beginning Aug. 12 before deciding what new regulations, if any, to impose on the industry.