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Editor,
The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel reported on March 6 that four large spills from pits at gas drilling sites dumped huge amounts of chemical-laced mud into Garden Gulch, northwest of Rifle between November and February.
One spill released 30,000 barrels of drilling mud, some of which is currently frozen in a waterfall that will flow into West Parachute Creek this spring. That’s nearly one million gallons from one spill alone, which must be scaring the people downstream who use that water for irrigation. It’s a simple stroke of luck that the spill didn’t go into a creek that’s used for drinking water.
The news of these spills comes at a time when every day brings reports of legislators and gas companies grumbling about new rules the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission is developing to protect wildlife, the environment and public health from the impacts of oil and gas development. The spills show exactly why we need the new rules – to prevent nasty accidents like these.
Let’s hope the Commission takes note and adopts rules that will really protect us, like keeping drill rigs far away from streams and requiring pitless drilling in the watersheds that provide our drinking water.
JANET MAGOON
Grand Junction
2 Responses to “Spills at gas sites”
Posted March 9th, 2008 at 1:58 am Login to Send PM Report this comment
I agree, lets just not run off the oil and gas industry while were at it though. That would totaly kill the economy in Grand Junction and all surrounding areas. Your little gravy way of life in this area would then be gone also. This is the one place in the nation right now that is going fairly well while the rest of the nation is basically in a recetion.
Posted March 9th, 2008 at 9:52 am Login to Send PM Report this comment
My little ” gravy way of life” was doing fine before the oil and gas industry got their way with the Bush and Owens administrations and jumped on the Piceance Basin ( and other places ) like a pack of hungry coyotes. Before this gas boom started about 6 years ago, we had a steadily growing economy, housing was reasonably priced, it was a hell of a lot cleaner and quieter around here, and I could find workers I could afford to pay. Try competing for labor with the worlds’ wealthiest industry.
Yes, fortunately, the boom comes at a time that helps to prop up this economy. My niece and my nephew are doing well with their industry jobs. That’s great. However, your claim that the departure of the industry would “total(l)y kill the economy” is just plain stupid.
Incidentally, Schlumberger just bought 375 acres near DeBeque, the last NW lease sale sold 27,500 acres at near record prices. The only thing that will slow down this profit feeding frenzy is a drop in the worldwide price of natural gas; a commodity.
And, if for some unforseen reason that price should fall, who believes that our great benefactors won’t vanish on a sunny morning in spring? I don’t.
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