Denver Post Gets it Wrong on Oil and Gas Wells

The Denver Post should have done its homework here.

It's true that there are rising concerns over the health impacts of air pollution from gas wells here in Colorado. A story in the by Nancy Lofholm two weeks ago certainly hit the nail on the head, quoting doctors and others who have experienced first hand how benzene and other chemicals spewed from these wells are creating a health nightmare.

But it's not true, as Lofholm reported two weeks ago and the Post Editorial Board opines today, that gas wells are too small to be regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Under the federal Clean Air Act, gas wells are supposed to be aggregated with the compressor stations and processing plants that they feed. In other words, gas wells and the larger facilities they pipe gas to, are supposed to be regulated as a single source of air pollution, just like a power plant. Aggregation safeguards make sure that industry doesn't piecemeal its development to avoid using the best available pollution controls.

Of course, when it comes to gas wells, industry has piecemealed its development. Now instead of regulating one source of air pollution, we're struggling to regulate thousands of individual gas wells. Making things worse, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has made it easier for the oil and gas industry to avoid aggregation safeguards.

A lot of people want to think it's just a coincidence that gas wells are unregulated while people are being poisoned by air pollution. No, it's not. There's a clear reason: the oil and gas industry is not following the law. And with a clear reason, there's a clear solution: make the oil and gas industry follow the law.

There is no need to take a "hard look," as the Denver Post suggests, at ways to regulate air pollution from gas wells. The Post needs to quit making this issue more complicated than it is and demand accountability from industry.

In fact, Rocky Mountain Clean Air Action is laying the groundwork for just this kind of accountability. Right now, we're gearing up to file suit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency over its failure to require Kerr-McGee to follow aggregation safeguards north of Denver. Kerr-McGee operates over 3,600 natural gas wells north of Denver, which feed into 7 compressor stations.

Let's not go out and buy a new set of tools when we have all the tools we need right now in our tool box to get the job done. Air pollution from gas wells can be reined in. It's as simple as following the law.