By: Shaina Oliver, Colorado Field Organizer, Moms Clean Air Force
Date: January 27, 2025
About: Rejecting the proposal of 17 oil and gas well sites in Lowery Ranch CAP, Docket #240600148
To: Energy & Carbon Management Commission
I’m Shaina Oliver, field coordinator with Moms Clean Air Force-EcoMadres Colorado Chapter. We are over 43,000 moms, dads, and caregivers united for our children’s right to live, learn, play, and breathe clean air in a safe environment.
Parents in Erie and many other communities are enduring public health impacts from the increased encroachment of oil and gas developments near homes, schools, hospitals, libraries, museums, community centers, parks, farms, streams, and agricultural irrigation waterways. Most importantly, our children’s health is being impacted.
As Moms, we know oil and gas sites and operations expose families nearby to high levels of methane emissions, along with many other harmful air pollutants, like benzene, nitrogen oxides, and hydrogen sulfide. These harmful pollutants are known to increase risks to certain forms of cancer; adverse birth outcomes, including preterm birth and low birth weight; central nervous system toxicity; and respiratory harm.
The EPA has also made strong concerns of drilling in close proximity of the Lowery Landfill Superfund site would put the Aurora Reservoir at risk. Concerns have been raised that any seismic activity from drilling could jeopardize the containment and allow contaminants to enter an aquifer system that millions of Coloradans rely on.
Colorado faces many pollution challenges, the Denver Metro Area, including Aurora, is failing to meet EPA ground-level ozone pollution standards according to the State of Air report by the American Lung Association. There are no safe levels of these harmful pollutants. Smog exposure is linked to increased risk of heart attacks, hospital visits, adverse birth outcomes, and impacts on respiratory systems. Over 300,000 Coloradoans are living with asthma like my son and myself. We have to stay indoors more, we have many missed school days, workdays, and missed opportunities with increased health costs due to the lack of education and strengthened protections on oil and gas operations and sites.
Nearly 18 million individuals across the United States live within 1 mile of an active oil and gas well. Colorado Moms Clean Air Force-EcoMadres Chapter call for your leadership to reject the State La Plata South Oil and Gas Development Plan. Our children are counting on us and your leadership.