For those of us living near the Aurora Reservoir and in the Southeast Aurora area, we know what it’s like to fight for our neighborhood. For the better part of the last year, hundreds of us have shown up — at public hearings, in comment boxes, in commission chambers — to push back against plans to drill 32 new fracking wells less than a mile from our homes, our schools, and the reservoir that supplies drinking water to more than 400,000 people. We came with our kids, and I brought my son. We came with data. We came with concern and with hope. And in December, we won a partial victory when state regulators voted 4-1 to delay the State Sunlight/Long development plan and send the company back to find a less dangerous location.
But now the federal government has reminded us that when we push one door back, sometimes another swings open.
In March and then again in June, the Bureau of Land Management plans to offer up our public lands for oil companies to lease, and both lease sales include parcels in Arapahoe County — right near the Aurora Reservoir, the Binney Water Purification Facility, the Arapahoe County Fairgrounds, and the neighborhoods where thousands of families live.
These public lands belong to us, and the BLM is getting ready to hand them over to the oil and gas industry, despite clear local opposition to leasing lands adjacent to the Aurora Reservoir.
Here’s the thing about federal leasing: once a company secures a lease, the door for development is essentially open. It becomes incredibly difficult — legally and practically — to stop drilling. The lease is the critical moment. After that, we’re playing defense on their terms.
The BLM’s mandate is to manage public lands for multiple use, for the benefit of all Americans. But somewhere along the way, “all Americans” has been quietly replaced with “whoever nominated this land for oil and gas leasing.” It wasn’t the people of Aurora and Centennial who asked for this. It wasn’t the families in Southshore or the parents dropping their kids off at the four schools within a mile of these proposed operations.
And we’re not the only ones concerned. The BLM received comments on the upcoming March sale from various stakeholders and public agencies across the state. The Environmental Protection Agency submitted recommendations for how the BLM should approach leasing lands near the Aurora Reservoir, including a call for the BLM to engage local stakeholders on potential impacts from leasing in this area. It is clear that we are the ones who know this community best, and who have the most to lose from harmful development taking place right on our doorsteps. Our concerns are real, and they matter.
I have a young child. We built our life in Southeast Aurora because I wanted a good school for him, a place to play outside, and clean air. I didn’t move here to watch the federal government auction off the land around us to the highest bidder. The BLM manages 245 million acres of public land in this country. There is no shortage of places to drill. There is a shortage of places where hundreds of thousands of people get their drinking water.
The comment period for the June sale closes March 13th. That’s not a lot of time.
If you live anywhere near the Aurora Reservoir — or if you just think the federal government should be responsive to the people who actually live near these lands instead of rubber-stamping whatever industry wants — go to the BLM’s ePlanning website and leave a comment. Tell the agency to take action to protect our communities and to remove lands in Arapahoe County from its upcoming sales.
We showed up for the state process and it made a difference. Let’s show up for this one, too.
Andrew Pinkowitz is a resident of Centennial.
Stop the lease of the Aurora reservoir. Water is critical to life. Property values will drop. Please do not destroy out community.
But yet you’ll approve a golf course or 5000 homes. Companies have been directional drilling for years under cities. I would welcome any oil an gas company to drill on my property than have a disgusting wind generator or worse yet a solar farm I have worked in the oil an gas industry for 40 yrs. No other industry has been brow beaten an harassed more, yet you bitch about gas prices and the cost of food .
Where did the author “bitch about gas prices and the cost of food?” I don’t see that in the article? Where did he say he’d “approve of a golf course or 5000 homes?” Don’t see that either. Where did he mention “disgusting” wind generators or a solar farm??
Environmental consultant that cleans up oil spills in Colorado for a living. NIMBY mentality only serves the rich. There is no intrinsic danger to directional drilling under the reservoir – oil reserves in Colorado are below sea level, so there is more than a mile of solid impermeable rock isolating oil deposits from surface water. Fracturing does not cause pathways to surface. Oil and gas are essential commodities to our society, and here in Colorado we have the strictest regulations on oil and gas in the world. If we cant produce oil responsibly here, then we push it onto a third world and marginilized communities. Suck it up Aurora, there is zero reason to not approve the oil wells below Aurora res (hence why ECMC approved them) besides NIMBY attitude that the wells will affect their profits, guised as concern for the environment.
I guess you should have talked to the Seller about development plans before you purchased the home. Another NIMBY. The cap rock for oil and gas development in this area is over 5000ft. Learn about the industry before you decide to spread lies and falsehoods. If O&G developement was such a health risk why is there not been and increase in cancers for the 100s of thousands of workers that support the industry. The Suncor refinery is in North Denver. No increase in health risk. When you spread falsehoods and lies, your story becomes a joke.
Good. Drill baby drill!
These public lands belong to me, too. I say lease them.
Also, 6 wells were recently drilled and fracked directly below the reservior. The last I heard, the reservoir is still there.
And I say DON’T lease them.
Wealthy NIMBY pansies. The planned drilling is not going to harm the Aurora Reservoir and the drilling operations are quieter than the traffic noise in those neighborhoods. If I were in their shoes, I’d be more worried about the toxic plume under the garbage dump than the oil drilling.
I can be worried about both.
Drilling under the reservoir is just screaming for a disaster. You clearly don’t know what you’re talking about.
Stay out of our city.
We’ve done more than enough damage to our environment- and for what, so an industry controlled by billionaires can make more money? I’d like to preserve our land and water for our children, and this idea that nothing about drilling is dangerous has been scientifically disproven time and time again. No more drilling. We have better options and I’d like to see more of our resources going toward expanding those.
Petroleum is an essential commodity to our society. Look around you right now, every man-made object you see was either made directly from petroleum, produced using petroleum, or extracted used petroleum-powered equipment. Yes there is impact from oil extraction and use, there is impact from literally everything we do (salting roads for ice is way up there) but we have to mitigate our impacts from development responsibly in order to exist sustainably as a society – or else we must fundamentally change every single aspect of how we live and grow comfortably on this planet. Barring that, leaving oil in the ground is not an option. Colorado has the most stringent regulations on oil and gas production and impact remediation in the world – if we cant show how oil can responsibly be produced and mitigated here in Colorado, then we relegate oil production to areas with FAR less regulation and restrictions. Ultimately, that NIMBY attitude and ‘leave it in the ground” mentality will do absolutely nothing cumulatively for the planet, will enrich the wealthy even further with the allowance of unregulated oil production, and we push the impacts of unsafe oil extraction and use onto third world countries and marginalized communities – again benefitting the rich. The oil wells civitas planned under Aurora was going to use fully electric machinery (no diesel power) that they developed explicitly with CO regulations. Hating something you critically use every day, and wishing the essential production of which happened in someone else’s (less regulated) backyard is short-sighted and frankly selfish. – Signed an Environmental Scientist specializing in ECMC regulations and remediation.
Thank you! Some common cents!! Sorry you were a little scared of “errfquakes” NIMBYs… Oil and gas, bust mostly gas, till I die.
Very, very well said. Thank you.
The problem with this country right now is that many people have forgotten how to be kind. We’ve forgotten how to show empathy to people who may be worried about their families, their homes, and their community. Instead of allowing others to share a different point of view, some people immediately jump to insults and name-calling.
The people speaking up about this issue are not trying to attack anyone or any industry. Many of us are simply parents, neighbors, and residents who care deeply about where we live. We care about the air our kids breathe, the water our community depends on, and the quality of life in the neighborhoods we worked hard to build.
This conversation is about whether heavy industrial activity belongs so close to homes, schools, and a drinking-water reservoir that serves hundreds of thousands of people. Those are reasonable questions for any community to ask. In fact, hundreds of residents have participated in hearings and public comments about proposed drilling near the reservoir, which shows how important this issue is to the people who live here.
You don’t have to agree with us. Healthy debate is part of democracy. But disagreement should not mean disrespect.
At the end of the day, we are all neighbors. We can have different opinions while still treating each other with basic decency.
The ignorance that the industry has engendered in the general public is palpable in these comments. The amount of O&G that Colorado produces is insignificant in the overall worldwide O&G industry. What it does do is enrich a small number of Coloradans specifically those that legally support the industry but it does little to nothing for the average person and most of the jobs they claim are transient – following the drilling. What this means is that we get little economic value and bear all of the impacts – pollution, massive water use, health issues, etc. Is it really worth it?
As an environmental consultant can you speak to earthquakes claimed to have been caused by fracking Oklahoma and Texas? I keep hearing this from anti-frackers. I’m pro oil, but mostly pro gas, and I need to have a response for them.