Erie residents want to stop Draco oil drilling development

Some Erie residents are concerned and are trying to stop oil and gas development that is set to be drilled beneath Erie and Boulder counties.

Denver-based Extraction Oil & Gas is proposing the Draco Pad project, which involves drilling 26 oil and gas wells from a location in unincorporated Weld County. The wells would be drilled from a location in Weld County and down to more than 7,000 feet. The wells would then rotate horizontally and travel about 5 miles, reaching under Erie and into parts of Boulder County, according to the city of Erie’s website.

“I don’t see any benefit to the community at all,” said Erie resident Liz Fisher. “But I do see the risk and the potential for harm.”

Residents have raised concerns about air quality, environmental damage, noise, odor, traffic and neighborhood disruptions from the development. Another concern is the number of wells drilled and the length of the 5-mile horizontal wells.

“We’ve never seen such long branches on any drilling project in Colorado,” said Erie resident Christiaan van Woudenberg. “They’re extending the technology really, really far, literally and figuratively, and that comes with a set of unknowns.”

The Draco site is located on about 19 acres of land north of Weld County Road 6 and west of Weld County Road 7 near the Westerly Subdivision, according to the city of Erie’s website. Drilling will extend west 5 miles underground toward Highway 287. Although the site is not within Erie city limits, it is within a few miles. Construction could begin this fall if Extraction Oil & Gas officials obtain all necessary permits.

“After discussions with stakeholders, local governments and others, we designed this drilling rig to minimize and mitigate impacts by locating it east of Erie in unincorporated Weld County,” Rich Coolidge, public relations manager for Civitas Resources, owner of Extraction Oil & Gas, wrote in an email. “Our best-in-class operations will include the use of all-electric, low-emission drilling rigs, followed by our quiet execution fleet that reduces noise and emissions.”

The city shares the concerns of its residents

Erie resident Sami Carroll called the project an “disgust.”

“It’s basically finding a little spot in unincorporated Weld County where you can drill under cities and counties that have banned fracking (and do it) on a scale that’s never been done before, and with technology that’s never been tested,” Carroll said.

David Frank, Erie’s environmental director, said the city “absolutely” shares residents’ concerns about the project.

Erie has little influence over the Draco Pad proposal because the land is not within city limits. Weld County has control over land use and surface regulations, and the Colorado Energy and Carbon Management Commission regulates everything underground.

“If there was a clear statute or section of county or city code that I could point to and say why this should be stopped, the city probably would have done it,” Frank said.

He said the city doesn’t like the Draco Pad proposal, but there’s no legal argument why it shouldn’t go ahead. The project complies with all local laws and codes.

“It’s a private company that owns this land and as long as they follow the law, they have rights,” Frank said.

Jason Maxey, director of the Weld County Department of Oil, Gas and Power, said the county supports the project and has approved the necessary permit.

“We believe any energy is beneficial to the community,” Maxey said, adding, “This will benefit not only the county but the entire area and the state.”

Maxey said Weld County officials have listened to residents’ concerns, which have been addressed by modifying permit requirements and then continue to be addressed by answering questions.

“We believe the project is in compliance with our code and requirements for the area,” Maxey said.

To continue operating, the company must obtain a permit from the state Energy and Carbon Management Commission.

“ECMC’s role in the proposed Draco Oil and Gas Development Plan is to review the proposed project along with an assessment of planned mitigation and preventive measures to protect public health, safety, welfare, the environment and wildlife resources,” Kelsy Been, ECMC’s public information officer, wrote in an email. “The proposed development will have final consideration at an ECMC committee hearing where the application will be approved, denied or placed on hold for additional information.”

As with Erie, Boulder County’s ability to influence the Draco Pad proposal is limited due to the facility’s location and applicable state regulations.

“The majority of this development falls under the purview of Boulder County, and Boulder County has been very clear about its position on this,” Carroll said.

Boulder County Deputy Planning Director Kim Sanchez said the county is monitoring the situation, supporting Erie residents near the site and will likely forward comments to the state Energy and Carbon Management Commission.

“The Draco Pad is located over 2 miles from the county line in Weld County, which means Boulder County has no legal jurisdiction to participate in the permitting processes,” Sanchez wrote in an email. “The plan is for horizontal drilling to go into Boulder County, but we have no legal authority to oppose or get involved in the permitting or regulation of those lines.”

In 2019, the state passed Senate Bill 19-181 to give local governments more authority to regulate the oil and gas sector and prioritize protecting public health.

As Frank said, because of this bill, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find places to drill for oil and gas along the Front Range.

“We’re seeing proposals near the county line that would drill 7,000 to 8,000 feet and then horizontally many miles underground to access minerals in Boulder County,” Frank said.

He added that drilling regulations in Boulder County became more restrictive than state regulations after the 2019 law was passed.

“As Colorado’s first carbon-neutral operator and a leader in sustainability, we are known for being early adopters of new technologies and innovative practices,” Coolidge wrote in an email. “We know that Colorado’s regulations governing oil and gas development are among the strictest in the world, and we’ve seen the Draco platform meet and exceed state regulations.”

Before the 26 new wells are drilled, Extraction Oil & Gas will plug and cap 22 existing, old and unused wells. The process involves placing multiple cement plugs in the old wells to prevent any leaks or problems while drilling the new wells.

“The project will also expedite the removal of 22 old wells, which will result in the removal of older tanks and equipment located in and around the City of Erie and the reclaiming and restoration of nearly 12 acres of land,” Coolidge wrote.

Frank said that while plugging the wells would benefit the local community, it would also create noise, odors and other inconveniences.

“The end result is desirable, but the process has its drawbacks,” van Woudenberg said.

“It affects more than Erie”

Van Woudenberg lives less than 2 miles from Draco. He is a member of a resident advocacy group called the Erie Protectors, which provides information about the development of the oil and gas industry.

“As someone who has been fighting this issue for almost 10 years, it’s very sad that another neighborhood of people who thought they were buying their dream home and raising a family in a healthy north Denver neighborhood has been blindsided by this heavy industry that has no place in our neighborhoods in the first place,” he said.

Carroll said the project’s impacts will not be limited to Weld County.

“This isn’t just an Erie issue, it’s an issue in Lafayette, Broomfield, the surrounding areas, probably even Longmont,” she said. “This isn’t just an Erie and Weld County issue, this is a Colorado issue.”

Fisher said current regulations are not stringent enough to protect residents.

“I’m scared,” she said. “I’m really, really scared that this is going to go away, and I want the whole community to know that because it’s time for everyone to come together and stand up to this.”

Weld County will collect tax revenue from the Draco Pad proposal if it is approved by the state, and the amount is uncertain at this stage of the project. Maxey said Weld County continues to welcome questions and concerns. The county also monitors air quality, with results available at air.weld.gov/Home.

“This is not a cookie-cutter approach,” Maxey said. “We are very specific in our assessments based on the site. We want to make sure that our assessment is robust and that the provisions for any permits that we issue address any concerns.”

Frank said Erie has a local air quality monitoring program in addition to state-mandated monitoring. The city has worked with its developer to phase in residential development in the area and has worked with the state to make sure all best practices are in place with the most efficient electrical equipment.

“This is a country of laws, not justice, and the city of Erie … we do not have any significant use of Draco. We have very limited authority in these circumstances,” Frank said, adding: “We are doing everything we can to protect our residents and we recognize that this proposal is not in their best interests.”

Van Woudenberg said the fight seems insurmountable.

“It’s exhausting, it’s scary, it’s really exhausting. But if we don’t fight, we’ve already lost,” Van Woudenberg said.

Originally published: August 10, 2024 at 4:20 PM