Shawndra Barry, a mother of two who battled an oil and gas operation in her neighborhood, says the company wanted to use her family’s private road for a drilling project east of Fort Collins. (AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post)
Re: “Mom power helps compel change around Colorado oil, gas operations,” May 10 business news story.
I’ve read through your article (about Front Range mothers who are worried about the impact of oil and gas drilling on their families) twice now and cannot find what their concerns are or what makes them “experts.” They say they want their “children to be safe,” but do not say why they think they wouldn’t be safe if a drill site is 900 feet away from the referenced school.
One of the moms was dismayed that a drill site would be “within view of her son’s elementary school” and later said that she “thought maybe these are things they shouldn’t see.” Seriously? What a fantastic opportunity to learn about earth science, geology and engineering, albeit not very up close and personal — a human standing 900 feet away would appear to be but a speck to the naked eye.
Are they concerned about health? No, according to Shawndra Barry, “I don’t talk about health or water because those are things I can’t prove.”
What exactly are they so concerned about, and why?
Joni Inman, Golden
This letter was published in the May 17 edition.The mothers in this story are amazing. We should all get up and research the facts, like these women did, not just the “facts” from oil and gas commercials, websites, and the PR from oil and gas trade groups and non-profits.
Itap a large machine, oil and gas, fraught with human errors. Every operation has human errors. The difference here is the human errors and sloppiness of the oil and gas companies have huge impacts. These include known carcinogens and endocrine disruptors in the water table; floods causing facilities that hold toxic water to overflow to nearby farmland, gardens, lawns, streams and wells; climate-altering methane; and earthquakes.
I’m glad Gov. Hickenlooper took an interest in Shawndra Barry’s concerns. Letap tell him she’s not alone.
Jeremy George, Denver
In a state where a good percentage of people support responsible energy development, The Denver Post publishes almost exclusively about the lonely energy fighter who is doing his or her best to stop energy activities. While it is great to hear about such efforts, we are only getting one side of the story. Where are the stories about the left-wing environmentalists who pull all sorts of shenanigans, use scare tactics, and bend the facts to stop energy resources from being developed so the people of Colorado can live a better and more prosperous life? I guess the former falls under the “if it bleeds, it leads” style of publishing.
Bill Turner, Aurora
This letter was published in the May 17 edition.There are in excess of 22,000 active oil and gas wells in Weld County. If the proximity of residences, places of business and schools to wells were a real issue, wouldn’t we expect that there would have been at least one instance of an injury to someone not working at a wellsite?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the leading causes of injuries to children are falls, being struck by an object, and overexertion. I humbly suggest that the moms quoted in your article could better use their time and energy by focusing on actual rather than imagined threats to their children.
If it is more the visual impact and noise that are the issue, perhaps the parents should have observed the presence of oil and gas wells and decided not to move to Weld County. Itap like moving near the airport and then complaining about the noise.
Jerry Goedert, Golden
This letter was published in the May 17 edition.
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