Booming Oil and Gas Drilling

According to an article in the Rocky Mountain News today, Colorado could see 23,000 new oil and gas wells drilled in the next 10-20 years. Most of these wells are slated for western Colorado, where, according to EnCana Oil and Gas, "It's a very prospective area for oil and gas development."

Oil and gas development carries with it costs, especially when it comes to the health of our communities. Air pollution from oil and gas development in particular is one of the most wide-ranging threats to our health. Oil and gas development already releases 71% of all smog forming compounds released by stationary sources in Colorado. As their name suggests, these chemicals react with sunlight to form smog. They're also hazardous to our health. Oil and gas developments in fact release more formaldehyde, benzene, toluene, xylenes, hexane, acrolein, and acetaldehyde than any other stationary source in Colorado.

Want to learn more about these toxic compounds released by oil and gas development and how they affect your body? Check out the links on our last blog post and the table on toxic air pollutants.

The oil and gas industry may very well be the current king of air pollution. The continued boom all but ensures that they will continue to be one of the largest sources of air pollution in the state.