Written by
Bobby Magill
The timing is awfully coincidental, and that’s partly why an oil
company is blaming its neighbors in the River West subdivision for getting its
Windsor drilling operation in trouble with state regulators.
Ranchers Exploration Partners’ landman Lloyd Richards said Friday he
believes the medical waste a state inspector found on its “Retta J 1” oil
drilling site in eastern Larimer County was a setup.
“We believe it was deliberately planted there,” Richards said.
On July 11, Ranchers sent a letter to River West residents updating
them on progress in drilling the Retta J 1 well, where the state declared a
public health emergency after waste from the nearby closed landfill, owned by
Thomas and Retta Johnston, was exposed as the company began drilling earlier
this year.
The letter, sent to the Coloradoan by River West residents, said
Ranchers had been cleared of wrongdoing by the state and that the Colorado Oil
and Gas Conservation Commission made a mistake in halting its drilling
operation there.
The next day, on July 12, a COGCC inspector arrived at Ranchers’
drilling site on a hill overlooking River West homes and found at least three
medical syringes on the drilling pad and numerous problems with stormwater drainage
and erosion.
The company met with COGCC officials on Thursday, prompting Richards to
claim that all the problems at the drilling site have been resolved or are
being corrected.
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MY TAKE
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Over a year ago I was at the town hall meeting where Bob Ward of Ranchers Exploration got smashed with questions from the audience. Mr. Ward promised $$$$$ for the landowners to sell their rights etc... Needless to say, Ranchers Exploration could not answer the questions. The public was so frustrated at times, that they even shouted their disgust and anger.
I find it very appalling that Ranchers Exploration has pointed the finger at the public for what appears to be, failures of yet another oil and gas operator.
Cure: Get the frackers out of our neighborhoods once and for all! Heavy industry does not belong next to our livelihoods. The oil and gas industry has taken away our wayS of life, contaminated our water, poisoned our air and yet they continue to spew epic lies to the public. There are no reasons at all that the oil and gas industry should be exempt from so many Federal exemptions.
Once again, 'GET THE OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY OUT OF OUR NEIGHBORHOODS!'
Shane
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