​The Sierra Club supported an “analysis” produced by another anti-fracking group called Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR). The analysis, titled “Fracking with ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Colorado” insinuates that PFAS is being used in Colorado hydraulic fracturing operations and that companies that fail to disclose trade secrets or proprietary information might be hiding other uses of PFAS without evidence.

Published: 6/24/2020

The oil and natural gas molecules produced in Colorado are among the cleanest in the world. Under Colorado’s rigorous regulatory framework and environmental rules that are widely seen as the gold standard, Colorado companies are utilizing state-of-the-art technology and innovation to decrease emissions, reduce leaks, limit venting and flaring, and disturb less land. The end result is abundant, efficient and affordable energy sourced and produced locally in one of the safest and most environmentally sound manners anywhere. That matters, particularly if the alternative is relying on energy produced by countries with poor labor standards and environmental practices.

Colorado’s oil and natural gas industry has greatly reduced its emissions over the past decade, even as oil and gas production in the state has increased. The reductions, made possible by increased technology and innovation, come at a time when Colorado legislators and regulators continue to target additional emissions reductions to combat global climate change. 

Published: 10/4/2019

The State of Colorado is a national leader in its commitment to fostering safe and responsible development of Colorado’s oil and gas resources. Over the past nine years Colorado has implemented precedent-setting regulations from baseline groundwater testing and monitoring to air regulations targeting methane leak detection and repair. 

Thousands of air quality measurements have been taken near oil and natural gas sites in Colorado over the past decade, and no measurement attributable to oil and natural gas has been above EPA or Health and Human Services health guideline values, according to monitoring by the state, industry, and third parties. 

Published: 10/2/2019

​Colorado oil and natural gas operators are an integral part of one of the safest industries in the country. Over the past decade, the oil and natural gas industry’s incident rate has decreased by 41 percent, while doubling the size of its workforce and increasing overall production and the number of drilling rigs.

Published: 9/25/2019

Protecting the air we breathe is one of Colorado’s oil and natural gas industry’s highest priorities. This commitment to preserve the state’s air quality has resulted in VOC emissions decreasing by nearly 50% between 2011 and 2017, even as production quadrupled. In fact, the Regional Air Quality Council (RAQC) and the Colorado Department of Health and Environment (CDPHE) found that “new regulations and advancements in technology” have resulted in significant emission reductions.

On October 17, 2019, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) released an oil and natural gas health effects study titled, Human Health Risk Assessment for Oil & Gas Operations in Colorado. This study follows CDPHE’s 2017 Assessment of Potential Public Health Effects from Oil and Gas Operations in Colorado. That earlier study reviewed more than 10,000 air samples in regions of Colorado where people are living near oil and natural gas development. It concluded that all measured air concentrations were below short- and long-term safe levels. 

​Oil and natural gas is one of the most regulated industries in the nation, and statistics prove that it continues to be an industry with a good safety record. The oil and gas industry holds itself to extremely high standards and is always working to improve upon its safety record.

​Safety is the top priority for Colorado’s oil and natural gas industry. We want nothing more than to ensure our community is a safe place to live, which is why companies often go above and beyond regulatory requirements to operate safely and responsibly. 

Hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” is a process to extract oil and natural gas deposits from tight rock formations. A mixture of pressurized water, sand, and chemicals is pumped into the formation creating tiny fissures in targeted areas of the source rock. These tiny fissures allow oil and natural gas to escape and flow through piping up to the surface. First tried 70 years ago, hydraulic fracturing became widely used in the last two decades after horizontal drilling began to replace vertical drilling. The combination of horizontal drilling and fracturing allows more efficient recovery of resources with a much smaller environmental footprint than drilling multiple vertical wells. Over 95 percent of the wells in the U.S. are hydraulically fractured at some point during their lifetime.  

​Colorado’s oil and natural gas companies are working hard every day to make a safe industry that much safer.  By keeping our employees safe at the wellhead and beyond, we keep Colorado communities safe as well.  Below are some of the ways Colorado’s energy industry is prioritizing public safety. 

​Siting an oil and natural gas facility involves several factors, starting with mineral ownership and an operator’s ability to physically access that property with modern horizontal drilling practices, and ending with conditional requirements often required by local governments.

​The oil and natural gas industry prides itself on finding constructive solutions to complex issues that arise with developing Colorado’s energy resources in rapidly urbanizing areas. One such issue was the buffer zone between schools, child care facilities, and oil and natural gas drilling.  

From new domestic gas tap rules to specifying where isolation valves must be installed on a flowline, these latest regulations, combined with existing state oversight requirements, provide Colorado with the nation’s most stringent and comprehensive rules for oil and natural gas flowline and production piping systems.

​The health and safety of Colorado residents and oil and natural gas employees is industry’s top value. Colorado’s oil and natural gas industry is one of the most regulated in the country, and scientific data supports the conclusion that these regulations are effectively protecting health and safety. A review of federal and state studies, as well as some questionable studies used by opponents to oil and gas development, can be found below.