Who are we?
We are the Colorado Grassroots “What the Frack?” Commission: a fast growing and informal grassroots group concerned with issues related to fracking in Colorado.
Membership requirements:
You must be a water drinking, air-breathing, tax paying Coloradan, who looks forward to continuing to breathe clean air and drink clean water in Colorado, eat healthy Colorado grown food, and enjoy the great Colorado outdoors.
How do I become a “What the Frack?” Colorado Commissioner?
No appointment necessary. Show up. Stand up. See our website for events. Create your own event.
What do we want?
Basically, a decent and sustainable future for Colorado.
Water security for current and future Coloradans: Scientists tell us our semi-arid state is in for prolonged future drought and water shortages. Today’s seemingly unlimited fracking is using up our future water supply.
Clean water and clean air for Colorado citizens, livestock, crops, flora, and wildlife. Health and quality of life means no fracking close to Colorado towns, wildlife areas, tourist areas, farms/ranches, headwaters, waterways, and aquifers.
An end to the era of Frackers Gone Wild and the severely under-regulated and seemingly unlimited fracking now going on across Colorado.
Federal and state regulations that hold oil and gas companies accountable for cleanup costs, damages costs, remediation costs, road costs — so that individuals and taxpayers are not left holding the bag in case of spills, accidents, water contamination, etc. The oil and gas industry must be held accountable for environmental and health protections at the front end of their projects.
Oil and Gas policy guided by processes designed to maximize the common good for all of us, rather than profits for a few. This means a transparent process open to the public with core scientific input from: environmental scientists (specializing in air, water, soil and biological species), climate scientists (specializing in water, atmosphere, population needs, and mitigating climate change from global warming), and public health scientists (specializing in acute and long-term health and safety for humans and animals).
Policy that includes long-term planning for the future, specifically taking into account climate change, which is, according to the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, the largest challenge face by our country and planet, and subject to an irreversible tipping point unless a strong and informed energy policy emerges soon.
How can I participate effectively to work for needed changes?
This is all grassroots and depends solely upon you and me.
Check the website periodically to find out about new events or projects. If the site has petitions posted, circulate and/or link to them. Share what you find interesting with your friends and link to the site. Suggest events or projects via email or arrange to post your events and projects on the website. Share your personal experiences with fracking on our site.
Email us to arrange to post fracking news for your area of Colorado on the website, including links to YouTube postings from your community about fracking (especially video testimonies of people in your area who can talk about how they have been fracked by fracking). Email us interesting/helpful links or tools to post. Let us know if you’d like to be emailed about upcoming events.
Help promote awareness of changes needed through any and all media you are comfortable with (email, posters, twitters, Facebook, meeting, conversations, art shows, public poetry, music, flash mob happenings, etc.).
Get the word out in you community. Hold a meeting on the Other Side of Fracking. You could start by showing the documentary film “Gasland” in your home or local library and discussing it (but first go to the “Gasland” official website and read their reply to the feeble criticisms of the film by the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, so that you will be familiar with that and can answer those criticisms). Other documentary films about fracking: “All Fracked Up” (and new hard-hitting film that shows hydro-fracking is an extreme technology used to obtain extreme energy), “Frack”, “Frack Attack”, “Split Estate”.
Follow Ghandi’s advice: get creative to “Be the change you wish to see in this world”.
There are several groups out there that have been working to halt drilling in their areas. It would be good for all these groups to unite and work towards State Legislation that protects our water (well, drinking, surface, aquifers, reservoirs, lakes, rivers, ponds, creeks, etc) from poor and bad Fracking Fluids. Please join our Google group
concerned-about-park-county-gas-drilling@googlegroups.com
The South Park Coalition has been working with Be The Change to make sure people see and discuss “Gasland” and public discussion with a former EPA whistle blower on Fracking. Let’s Unite and grow this movement all over Colorado. Together We Can BE THE CHANGE
Posted by scj | June 24, 2011, 9:14 pmHi there What the Frack! I’m working w/Citizens for Huerfano County/Huerfanos Against Fracking (on facebook) and agree, we need to unite all the CO groups to have a bigger voice in calling for reform. Given that Hickenlooper is a natural gas guy, its going to be an uphill push.
We’re having a big benefit concert on Labor Day, ya’ll please come!!
http://huerfanofrack.blogspot.com/
I’m also the founder of the Renewable Communities Alliance/working on the other side of the equation:
What about having a CO group summit to get some key people and orgs together?
Posted by Tangleblue | August 26, 2011, 10:48 pmPlease join our google group concerned-about-park-county-gas-drilling@googlegroups.com
Together we can Make A Change Together we can work towards State Legislation to protect our water.
There are several other groups out there working on the same goals. Let’s join our voices and then we will be heard.
Posted by scj | June 24, 2011, 9:17 pmI have added a link to your site from our Park County oriented site (https://sites.google.com/site/parkcountygasdrilling/links)
Posted by John | June 29, 2011, 3:52 amCitizens for Huerfano County is a new Southern Colorado group that’s fighting a Shell oil “play”, starting upwind of La Veta but positioned to expand rapidly if this first 14K’ well produces. We are also looking to network with other GRASSROOTS community groups fighting destructive OG development. We (or at least I) cannot join yet another google group but I would suggest you get a FAcebook group page, there its easy to “LIKE” and network with other anti-fracking/OG, pro local clean energy (but not big industrial solar/wind, because it still destroys the environment and communities), or both. Citizens for Huerfano County is “Huerfano’s Against Fracking” on Facebook. Oh and check out the Renewable Communities Alliance too, we are working to network anti/OG/coal with pro renewable/clean energy to ignite a broad-based Energy Democracy movement and put an end to energy tyranny. Lot of other great groups are there too – hope to see you there!
Posted by Ceal | July 19, 2011, 5:24 amThanks for the great information. We just started a Facebook page, so we can stay in touch better. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Fracking-Colorado/219289581440760
Posted by lowryarapahoe | July 19, 2011, 9:00 pmOh and I’ll put a link to your website on the Huerfano’s Against Fracking facebook page (still working on a website).
Posted by Ceal | July 19, 2011, 5:27 amI am from a NY State antifracking group called United for Action (www.unitedforaction.org). We are part of a larger antifracking coalition, the national grassroots coalition, http://www.nationalgrassrootscoalition.org that is trying to disseminate informatoin and help organize joint actions by anti fracking groups nationwide. We are currently trying to push a national call in day to President Obama on September 13, 2011. If you would like to participate or to join the coalition details are on the coalition’s site. The United for Action site also contains useful resources such as links to articles on fracking. You can contact me if you would like more information. Eric Brandenburg, etburg@aol.com
Posted by Eric Brandenburg | September 11, 2011, 10:30 pmNov 1st meeting in Parker Library – a great beginning! Please contact me with any organizational updates, particularly any meetings in Parker. Have others expressed an interest in becoming involved or attending regularly scheduled meetings?
Posted by ron d jones | November 2, 2011, 3:54 amLove this movement! Frack NO! We need to get more attention on the Hughes Oil permit that is currently under review by the COGCC. The well is planned in a very unique area in the San Luis Valley near Del Norte up San Francisco Creek, and if contaminated could potentially threaten our entire aquifer/water system. Check out http://www.colorado.gov/cogcc click on Permits, Pending (Rio Grande County) and click on the blue tracking number. This launches an eForm that allows you to view all permit documents and has a comments section. This is the preferred and most direct method.
Posted by Wendy Kane | November 7, 2011, 7:52 pmFracking has come to Longmont (this is an email blast that was sent out last week to people in Boulder County and beyond)
Two oil and gas corporations have expressed interest to drill right below Union Reservoir and in other open space areas.
The Longmont City Council is holding a work session on drilling during its meeting next Tuesday night (November 15th). The only invited speakers are sympathetic to drilling, including a representative from the CO Oil and Gas Association. Clearly, this will be a one sided presentation.
Will you come provide public comment at 6:45 pm? We need to let the Longmont City Council know that the threats to our water, families, and communities are too great to allow fracking to move forward in Longmont. Details are below. We also need people to attend and stand up when I mention there is a great deal of opposition to this by Longmont citizens.
Finally, The Longmont City Council is holding a work session on drilling during its meeting next Tuesday night (November 15th). The only invited speakers are sympathetic to drilling, including a representative from the CO Oil and Gas Association. Clearly, this will be a one sided presentation. there will be a public comment session at 7 pm. Please arrive at 6:45 in order to sign up to make comment.
> Talking points:
>
> * Fracking poses an unacceptable risk to our drinking water, public health, and our families.
> * Scientists have found that 25 percent of chemicals used in fracking can cause cancer; 37 percent can disrupt the endocrine system; and 40 to 50 percent can affect the nervous, immune and cardiovascular systems.
> * There is an average of 7 spills every 5 days in Colorado associated with the oil and gas industry in Colorado–more than one each day.
> * With this type of deplorable track record, why is Longmont considering letting two oil and gas corporations drill right next to Union Reservoir, which provides drinking water?
> * To date, over 100 municipalities across the country have passed resolutions to stop fracking within their jurisdiction. Colorado should follow suit.
> * Longmont must follow suit by denying permits for these two corporations. In addition, we urge the city council to protect its citizens by banning all future fracking.
>
Please forward this to your contacts. If people need more information, Jeff Dodge wrote an excellent article in The Boulder Weekly. http://www.boulderweekly.com/article-6775-what-the-frack.html
Posted by Teresa Foster | November 14, 2011, 2:14 amFracking may expose buried nerve agent at Commerce City Site Today!
Suprise showup of drilling crews alert families of danger of disturbig hazardous waste ,including SARIN, pumped into bedrock decades ago at the old Rocky Mountain Arsenal near Denver International Airport.
Citizens should call on USEPA and Colorado Public Health to begin site monitoring NOW!
Posted by Dan Mulqueen | November 21, 2011, 7:21 pmWhere is the outrage?
Posted by Gary Weaver | January 21, 2012, 4:30 pmhttp://longmontroar.org/ – come visit us and like us on Facebook!
Posted by Teresa F. | January 30, 2012, 7:18 pmWe are with you in Longmont. Our cause is outlined at LongmontROAR.org.
Posted by DavidPelster | January 30, 2012, 7:40 pm