Researchers from the University of Colorado track oil field air emissions in Weld County using a mobile lab in 2013. (University of Colorado)
Re: “Researchers assess emissions from Colorado oil and gas fields,” Nov. 16 news story.
Mark Jaffe’s article on emissions from Colorado’s oil and gas industry raises serious concerns about the methane, volatile organic chemicals, and benzene emissions in our air. Until further studies are completed, we won’t know the full effect of these emissions on health; however, anecdotal accounts from people living near fracking sites indicate they’re linked to skin and respiratory conditions. Long-term impacts, such as cancer, won’t be known for years.
Rather than tinkering with fixes, we can avoid health impacts altogether by switching to our abundant renewable energy sources. According to the Stanford-based Solutions Project, the U.S. has enough wind, water and solar energy to power our entire economy. By putting a gradually increasing fee on carbon emissions and returning revenues to American households, the transition will happen more quickly — creating jobs, adding to our GDP and reducing premature deaths. Thatap a market-based solution our new Congress should get behind.
Susan Secord, Boulder
This letter was published in the Nov. 24 edition.Kudos to Mark Jaffe for pointing out the problem of methane that is escaping from Front Range oil and gas fields. However, this problem is minuscule compared to the methane and other greenhouse gases produced by the beef and dairy industries, which Jaffe briefly mentions in his article.
As set forth in a 2006 United Nations report, the manure from the cattle industry generates 37 percent of all human-induced methane, 65 percent of all human-related nitrous oxide and 64 percent of ammonia, which contributes significantly to acid rain.
The methane escaping from oil and gas fields is a small fly compared to the elephant of greenhouse gases generated by the cattle industry.
Doug Meier, Lakewood
This letter was published in the Nov. 24 edition.
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