Let's Move Past the Rhetoric

Is gas drilling affecting health? Seriously, why are we still asking this question?

Donna Gray with the Glenwood Springs Post Independent and others have done a bang up job of tackling the issue of oil and gas drilling in western Colorado. However, Donna and others are not moving us past the rhetoric when it comes to tackling the health impacts of gas drilling, especially from air pollution.

Today's story in the Glenwood Springs Post Independent is case in point. While the stories of Dee Hoffmeister and Beth Dardynski (a stellar member of Rocky Mountain Clean Air Action!) speak for themselves the grim reality that gas drilling is making people ill, the reporter actually never comes out and cements the connection. Is gas drilling affecting health? It's reported as a rhetorical question, but there's really no rhetoric about it.

The reality is that we know gas drilling is affecting public health. Come on, let's look at one clear example.

Take benzene, a hydrocarbon that is known to cause leukemia and can lead to drowsiness, dizziness, and headaches. Benzene is part of the hydrocarbons--including natural gas and condensate--sucked up from the ground and is also a byproduct of engine combustion.

According to the Colorado Air Pollution Control Division, oil and gas developments in Garfield County release over 354,000 pounds of benzene annually, more than all other sources--including cars and trucks--combined. Much of this is released from wells that are near people's homes, especially

Hmmm. So in Garfield County, there are increased reports of "dizziness" and "headaches" and the oil and gas industry spews more benzene into the air than any other source and benzene is linked to cancer, dizziness, drowsiness, and headaches. We feel pretty justified and reasoned in saying the oil and gas industry is poisoning the residents of western Colorado.

Keep in mind, this is just looking at benzene. According to the Colorado Air Pollution Control Division, the oil and gas industry is also a major source of other toxic pollutants, like toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene, and formaldehyde, in Garfield County. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to make the connection here.

Come on folks, let's move past the rhetoric here and into reality. We need stop asking whether gas drilling is affecting health and start answering the question, "Why isn't the gas industry protecting health?"