Western Slope landowners came to the Capitol on Wednesday to ask the state to help protect them from toxic oil and gas fumes that they contend are responsible for everything from rashes to asthma and nervous system disorders.
More than a dozen people lined up to tell their stories to the House Agriculture, Livestock & Natural Resources Committee, which endorsed a measure to require the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission to set rules by July 2008 to protect public health in oil and gas operations.
“This bill is the first step towards guaranteeing that the state does its job and protects its citizens,” said Rep. Kathleen Curry, D-Gunnison, who is sponsoring House Bill 1223.
The bill would also require the commission to work with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to investigate complaints, which residents said have been largely ignored.
Dee Hoffmeister, who owns 40 acres outside Silt, told the committee how her and her husband’s retirement home turned toxic after a gas company drilled a well on her neighbor’s property.
She said they came home from a 50th class reunion to discover the rig and a mist of benzene so thick it created a “big gray cloud” on their deck.
After running into the house, she said, she passed out.
She then became so “mentally and physically ill I shut down; it was like I was brain-dead.”
Hoffmeister said she got no response from state and local officials she called for help, and doctors couldn’t help her either.
Her seven grandchildren also live on the property, and they suffer asthma, lung infections and other respiratory issues.
“What scares me is what happens to them in the future,” she said.
Doctors and toxicologists also testified about the health impacts of drilling.
Mary Bachran, of The Endocrine Disruption Exchange, which has been studying health impacts of drilling on the Western Slope, said 171 products currently are used in drilling; they contain 245 chemicals.
“They are incredibly toxic,” she said.
Representatives of the oil and gas industry called for more data gathering and monitoring before changing state regulatory law.
Ken Wonstolen, a lawyer for the Colorado Oil and Gas Association, noted that Weld County still has the most wells in the state – 12,500 – but it has not had the same issues.
“Why haven’t these issues come up there? Why haven’t they come up in any other state?” he asked.
Stan Dempsey, president of the Colorado Petroleum Association, said the oil and gas industry has a strong record of being responsive to environmental concerns.
“It’s the oil and gas industry that has done the most to help Denver meet air quality standards.”
Capitol Bureau chief Jeri Clausing can be reached at 303-954-1555
