- An Alliance For Community Action
- (970) 256-7650
- info@WesternColoradoAlliance.org
Act now to save our water!
Did you know that fracking just a single oil and gas well can use between 16 to 24 million gallons of water?
Many wells are re-fracked as their production declines. The water that returns to the surface as produced water is contaminated. It is usually disposed of by injecting deep underground, but at a time when the Colorado River is dangerously low and our communities are imperiled by a historically severe drought, using fresh water to extinction for the production of fossil fuels doesn’t make sense.
Fossil fuel development and combustion are major contributors to this climate crisis. That is why our Alliance is supporting a vital piece of legislation to protect our water: HB 23–1242 (the “Water Conservation in Oil and Gas Operations” bill).
HB 23–1242 would require oil and gas operators to gradually increase the use of recycled water for fracking and any other uses as a requirement to secure a permit for a well. Additionally, operators would be required to report to state officials how much water they’ve used, how much they’ve recycled, and how much they’ve disposed of. It would also require operators to report the number of miles traveled by trucks transporting water for use in oil and gas operations. Finally, the bill would require the state to include this information in an annual report, and report incidents involving radioactive or PFAS chemicals (sometimes called “forever chemicals”) in produced water to the Department of Health.
Our Alliance is working hard to make sure that this critical piece of legislation passes — and we need your
help! Please take a moment now to tell our lawmakers that we need to protect our water from oil and gas pollution today!
Brian joined Western Colorado Alliance as a community organizer in April 2020. With a professional background in elections and the court system, Brian specializes in working with our partners to shape oil and gas policy. Having grown up on the Western Slope, he is committed to working toward a strong, sustainable future for our community. Brian also volunteers with Mesa County Library’s literacy and pathway to citizenship programs. As an avid board game enthusiast, he enjoys opportunities to strategize and build winning coalitions. Brian received his bachelor's degree in political science from Colorado Mesa University, and his master’s degree in public administration from the University of Colorado Denver’s School of Public Affairs.