Since moving to Erie in 1989, I have been involved with air and land quality issues related to oil and gas operations on and near my farm.
Today, the energy extraction conversation in my community is dominated by the Draco Pad deal where the town of . In the deal, SM Energy has agreed to abandon and cap older wells in Weld County and to give the town 158 acres where it will cap older wells. Some of my land happens to be adjacent to the 158 acres Erie is acquiring from SM Energy as part of the agreement.
For years, I worked to get rid of one of the oil and gas wells on the County Line Road side of my farm. After a successful legal battle 鈥� with support from the Colorado Energy and Carbon Management Commission (ECMC) 鈥� the subject well was removed.聽 This improved the air quality for me and residents in the Arapahoe Ridge, Baxter Farms, Candlelight, Canyon Creek, Compass, Country Meadows, Meadow Sweet Farm, Orchard Glen, Parkdale, Rex Ranch, and Vista Point neighborhoods.
I am now focused on getting rid of the remaining well on the North 119th Street side of my farm. It is operated by SM Energy and impacts the same Erie neighborhoods and families.
Under SM Energy鈥檚 Draco oil and gas development plan (approved by the ECMC last year), I discovered this last well will be eliminated 鈥� further improving the health and welfare of my family and all of my Erie neighbors.
Even better, because SM Energy is extracting minerals horizontally 7,500 feet underground, Draco will minimize oil and gas surface activity in that area. That means there will be no new wells ever again on my property and the properties of many other Erie residents.
One of the conditions of the contract between the Town of Erie and SM Energy is that the company is required to permanently and expeditiously eliminate all of its oil and gas wells in Erie along with additional wells outside of the municipality. This represents 39 surface wells and related facilities (tanks, flowlines, et cetera) across the entire greater Erie area 鈥� with their expedited removal benefitting almost every resident of the town.
SM Energy also is required to restore the surfaces where the wells are located and make hundreds of acres available again for parks, recreation, and other community opportunities. Additional neighborhoods which will benefit from this requirement include Colliers Hill, Erie Airpark, Erie Highlands, Erie Village, Kenosha Estates, Kenosha Farms, Lost Creek Farm, and Wildrose.
Furthermore, the contract grants the town a rare and exceptional health and safety benefit to protect those of us who live in or near Erie 鈥� the right to inspect the Draco operation even though it is located outside of the town鈥檚 jurisdiction.
Today, there are opponents seeking to void this agreement by circulating a petition for a referendum to overturn the contract. While I appreciate their passionate opposition to the use of fossil fuels, I believe, if they truly care about everyone鈥檚 health, safety, and welfare, they actually should now support the contract.
As an environmentalist who brought 1041 regulation to Boulder County so it could control large construction projects, I understand the desire to protect our communities. I successfully fought on behalf of citizens being taken advantage of by one of Colorado鈥檚 largest water districts, and I improved the air quality of the Erie area by working with Boulder County commissioners to get rid of an operation in which thousands of hens were inhumanely penned. I have always been focused on improving our precious environment.
But I support the Draco deal. This is due to the reality that, because the Draco plan already has been approved, Erie cannot stop the operation. It抖阴ap a 鈥渄one deal.鈥� The Town and others fought hard in opposition to Draco but lost that battle.
Continuing to fight now doesn鈥檛 harm SM Energy; rather, it harms almost every member of our community who wants cleaner air, less noise, and the return of land which previously was dedicated to oil and gas operations. By opposing the contract, the health, safety and welfare of Erie citizens is being jeopardized.
In conclusion, I would encourage Erie residents to not sign any petition and, if the referendum ballot issue is approved, to vote against it. If you truly care about your own family and your neighbors, even if you don鈥檛 like oil and gas companies or the use of fossil fuels, it only makes sense to support the town鈥檚 efforts to get every benefit it can from an oil and gas company that is going forward with this project regardless of what we do.
I know it can be difficult for us to face unpleasant facts, but Draco is occurring whether Erie is involved or not, so opposing the deal the town made only ends up harming all of us in the end. Instead, let抖阴ap focus on working together to maximize the benefits Erie can obtain today.
Aaron Harber (Aaron@HarberTV.com) is the host of 鈥淭he Aaron Harber Show鈥� on Rocky Mountain PBS and moved to the Erie area in 1989, when the town had a population of 1,100 and had no paved roads or traffic signals.
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