Published on April 5 in The Durango Herald, George Sharpe said, “There is absolutely no evidence that people living near those wells are in any danger whatsoever.” He has no information other than a blanket statement that there is no out-of-compliance air sample. Unfortunately, there is excellent evidence that fossil fuel wells have a terrible influence on people’s health, including climate chaos.
In Nature Energy in January 2022, “Exposure to Unconventional (fracked) Oil and Gas Development and All-cause Mortality in Medicare Beneficiaries,” studied more than 15 million Medicare beneficiaries. Result: “We found evidence of statistically significant higher mortality risk associated with living in proximity to and downwind of unconventional oil and gas wells.” This study included Colorado.
As if the results of the above study aren’t bad enough, there’s one published in Environmental Health Perspectives from April 2014, “Birth Outcomes and Maternal Residential Proximity to Natural Gas Development in Rural Colorado.” It says, “We observed an association between density and proximity of natural gas wells within a 10-mile radius of maternal residence, and prevalence of CHDs (Congenital Heart Defects) and possibly NTDs (Neural Tube Defects).” In addition, there are suggestions that drinking water can be contaminated by fossil fuel wells.
Residents of La Plata County, our commissioners are working to protect the health and lives of senior citizens. Even more important, they are working to protect the lifelong health of fetuses conceived and carried here. We should thank them for working to revise Chapter 90 regulations!
Richard Grossman
Bayfield
