- An Alliance For Community Action
- (970) 256-7650
- info@WesternColoradoAlliance.org
Next Battlement Mesa proposal flawed from outset
Next Battlement Mesa proposal flawed from outset
Summer will not exactly be vacation time for members of Battlement Concerned Citizens. In mid-June, Ursa Resources submitted six applications for special use permits to continue its development of oil and gas in Battlement Mesa.
The applications are for two new large-scale well pads, a water storage facility, two pipelines and a wastewater injection well. One of the pads will be within 500 feet of homes, a clear violation of state setback rules.
Over the summer, we will continue to help BCC work for better siting of the pads, and more protections to make the project as safe and convenient as possible for residents.
BCC, a committee of our Garfield County affiliate, Grand Valley Citizens Alliance, is also helping residents hold Ursa accountable to promises the company made to the community in permitting decisions late last year.
In May, BCC and WCC hosted a workshop on how to file complaints with state regulatory agencies. If an operator is violating the terms of its permits, it will only be fined if the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission knows about it. And since most COGCC inspectors don’t live in Western Colorado, neighbors of drilling activity are the first line of documentation and enforcement.
To learn more about filing complaints with the COGCC, contact me at emily@westerncoloradoalliance.org.
Emily stepped up as our staff director in 2017, but originally joined our team as a community organizer in 2013. Born and raised on the Western Slope, Emily graduated from Colorado State University and then had the privilege of learning from and working alongside organizers in Central and South America as well as Appalachian coal country. They returned to their home state to protect the land they love and work with fellow Coloradans for a healthy, just and self-reliant future for our rural communities. Emily enjoys organizing, exploring the Colorado Plateau, country music and punk concerts with equal passion.