FRACKING FACT CHECK: Will Proposition 112 help or hurt Colorado?

A big issue on this year’s ballot is one the many that’s causing controversy across the state.

Proposition 112 is a statewide ballot initiative that wants to increase the distance between new oil and gas developments and occupied structures, like homes and schools.

The proposition is coming with fierce opinions on both sides. Activists who want the initiative to pass say these setbacks are what the state needs to keep people healthy.

Currently, Colorado regulations say oil and gas sites must be 500 feet from homes and 1,000 from highly occupied structures, like schools.

If passed, those setbacks would increase to 2500 feet or about half a mile.

Anne Lee Foster, with Colorado Rising, an organization strongly backing the issue says, “the regulations aren’t working when over half of the pollution that is causing all kinds of issue, asthma is coming directly from the industry.”

On the other side of the issue, the industry is claiming it could lose thousands of jobs as a result of the increased distance. Colorado Oil and Gas Council reported more than 200,000 jobs to come from the oil and gas industry across the state.

Dan Haley, CEO, and President of the Oil and Gas Association explains what consequences could result if Proposition 112 is passed, “it puts 94% of the private land in the top 5 oil and gas producing counties off-limits to new development. That means that’s bad for Colorado. That means a loss of up to 147,000 jobs.”

The problem with new oil and gas developments isn’t necessarily what happens below ground. Activists say the emissions given off during the drilling and fracking process are what’s making them want to push these sites farther away.

KRDO toured three different sites, all belonging to SRC energy. The hope was to show Southern Colorado what the developments look like.

We found the first step in the process is a drilling rig. High integrity steel pipes are drilled into the ground thousands of feet below us. It’s surrounded by cement, steel and then cemented again to create a casing. Once that’s finished, hydraulic fracturing comes in.

Trucks with heavy equipment are using to send water, sand, and chemicals into the ground, fracturing the shale rock underneath, releasing oil and gas back through the casing. It’s eventually overtime brought up to its final site where oil and gas can either be pipelined to a refiner or hauled there.

The concern from activists in this issue aren’t so worried about what’s happening underground, but more so the emissions that come off these sites during the work.

Foster says, “we know these sites are emitting carcinogens like benzene, ethylbenzene, xylene, toluene.”

Oil and gas industry leaders say that’s not the case. Mike Eberhard, Chief Operations Officer from SRC Energy says, “we’re pumping into the wells. We’re not taking fluids out during hydraulic fracturing process so there are no emissions as we’re standing here today.”

A working mom in Erie, Colorado, Erika Deakin, has a very different story. Her concern isn’t so much the emissions, more so her quality of life. She can see several developments from her front window.

At one point Deakin says, “you open your window and there’s this huge acrid smell particularly from Crestone, particularly from Waste Connections Pratt sites… you do start to wonder, what is happening? What is happening?”

Her concern followed the hundreds of complaints found on Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission Website.

Some read, “awful petroleum smell in my backyard.” Another said, “our home vibrates at all hours of the night.”

The claims go against what the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment have found. Their report done in 2017 found mixed evidence of health effects from living 500 feet from oil and gas developments.

A CU Boulder study found the opposite. In short, it found emissions coming from these sites were higher than previously expected, and could potentially pose a health problem.

Voters have until November 6th to make their vote on Proposition 112.