The drills are back in town, and Extraction is resuming operations on Northwest A&B pad, United pad, and Interchange A&B pads, according to a schedule provided by the City and County of Broomfield. The sound walls on these sites were re-erected in August with the exception of the United pad, whose sound walls are being erected in September. Extraction, who filed for bankruptcy on June 14, 2020, has restructured its debt and is set to merge with Bonanza Creek and Crestone to become Civitas Resources.
When Extraction drilled the Livingston pad in 2019, dozens of community members logged complaints of foul odors, chemical exposures that made breathing difficult, and excessive noise due to drilling operations. In relation to the noise, several residents complained about headaches from the noise, sleep deprivation, and an overall negative quality of life impact. Complaints were especially heavy around the holidays. These complaints and documented noise infractions prompted the CCOB to pass a noise ordinance applying to all business done in Broomfield city and county.
Tami Yellico, who has been the Local Government Designee (LGD) for oil and gas in Broomfield and was in this position when the MOU was signed with Extraction in October of 2017, has accepted the new position of City Attorney in Thornton. Her departure comes just as these drills move in, leaving a lot of questions around how the CCOB will enforce the contract and respond to community question, concerns, and needs as required. There has yet to be anyone named to replace Yellico.
As reminder to local residents near these new drilling sites, especially parents who may have kids at schools in close proximity to new drilling operations, please keep an eye on your own health and the health of your family members. Impacts of chemical exposures to look for include headaches, eye irritation, throat irritation, nosebleeds, skin irritation, or other changes in health. Report all concerns directly to the city and to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE).
Those looking to get more information from the city about the drilling taking place in Broomfield should consult the Broomfield Oil and Gas webpage and consider attending bi-weekly oil and gas meetings held by the city. These meetings often covers topics related to new developments. There is usually time for citizen questions and concerns to be addressed. Here’s how to access those meetings’ archives:
- Biweekly Oil & Gas Discussion recordings:
– Scroll down to ARCHIVED MINUTES/VIDEO/AUDIO
– Click on Other Events tab
– Expand +Oil and Gas