Statement on So-Called “Mob Intimidation” of Encana Representative at Boulder County Commissioners’ December 4, 2012 Public Hearing on Oil and Gas Development

Sent anonymously -

The incident involving Ms. Wiedenbeck, a public relations representative of Encana, is being exaggerated, sensationalized, and flat out misrepresented. We have reviewed three videos of the incident and spoken with several witnesses. We are confident any video of the incident will reflect this statement.

Far from being followed in the dark to her car by a mob, Ms. Wiedenbeck was escorted from the County Courthouse one block to her car by a Boulder police officer and two Boulder County security guards. Four or five residents followed Ms. Wiedenbeck and heckled her with statements like "it's not okay to poison our children."  At no time was Ms. Wiedenbeck physically threatened or personally attacked. Nobody pounded on the windows of her car or blocked it. 

One of the hecklers was a father whose family is literally being poisoned by Encana. Emotions were running understandably hot. This family lives in Boulder County, invested their savings into what they thought would be a bucolic lifestyle, raising children and chickens and growing their own food. They are now living a nightmare.

Encana is drilling all around them and was recently fined for one of their toxic fluid tanks emitting carcinogenic VOCs that were trespassing onto this family's property, into their children's lungs, and contaminating their crops.

Another family in Boulder County had silica sand from a nearby hydraulic fracturing operation, which can lead to the fatal lung disease silicosis when inhaled, blown onto their property, inhaled into their lungs and coating their crops.

The County Commissioners have consistently ignored these family's repeated and documented requests for a meeting!

We find it deplorable that the County Commissioners are sensationalizing the brief ‘heckling’ of the Encana representative while ignoring these family's documented pleas.

The real story here is that residents of Boulder County are being bullied and poisoned by Encana and the County Commissioners are ignoring it. It should be expected that people are going to be telling the truth with the same audacity that gas and oil profiteers are willing to tell their lies.

"If your child's life is threatened, do you stop to ask a politician if it's legal to save your child’s life?" - Julia Butterfly Hill