Did you know that people from all over Southern Colorado come from Trinidad, Walsenburg, Aguilar, Weston, La Veta and from points beyond just to adopt these wonderful pets to give them a home? How can you resist? Next time you are looking for a pet check out Noah’s Ark Animal Welfare Association first!

Click here to see more Pet Photos

CONTACT:
Noahs Ark Animal Welfare Association | Trinidad, CO | 719-680-2385

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Click on this photo to see a larger image and see if you can imagine how life would have been like here in Las Animas County a hundred and fifty years ago. Maybe you have some memories or thoughts that you can share about life in Las Animas County many years ago.

Hope you enjoy the photo, it was taken off of County Road 42 North of Weston and west of Aguilar Colorado.

Photo was taken by Charlie and Barbara with Adobe Gold Properties.

We picked our company name for a few reasons. We wanted a name that would get us up higher in any advertising alphabetical listings and we also realized that many people came to this area, just like we did, looking for a better life and lifestyle. And those people found in this area that there weren’t many minerals like gold to find here but what they did find was awesome weather and an absolutely beautiful area and they carved their lives out of the dirt here and many of their original homesteads were made out of adobe. So their fortunes were in their Adobe Gold……and they were honest hard working families….just like us. And our specialty is helping others find their dreams here in Southern Colorado. Check out our website to find out more about our Colorado Land for Sale.

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2. UFO’s in Las Animas County? Cattle Mutilated
3. Evidence Near Trinidad Colorado of Dinosaur Extinction

Fracking is a technology used by the oil and gas industry to access “unconventional” natural gas deposits trapped in shale, coalbed, and tight-sand formations – potentially at the expense of underground water supplies.

After her well water was contaminated by nearby fracking in 2006, Ernst decided to go public, showing visiting reporters how she could light her tap water on fire, and speaking out about Alberta land owners’ problems with the industry, especially Calgary-based EnCana. EnCana is Canada’s second biggest energy company (after Suncor) and is now also a major player in British Columbia, with hundreds of natural-gas wells in the province.

Ernst, a biologist and environmental consultant to the oil and gas industry, says EnCana “told us ‘we would never fracture near your water.’ But the company fracked into our aquifer in that same year [2004].” By 2005, she says, “My water began dramatically changing, going bad. I was getting horrible burns and rashes from taking a shower, and then my dogs refused to drink the water. That’s when I began to pay attention.” More than fifteen water-wells had gone bad in the little community.

Tests revealed high levels of ethane, methane, and benzene in Ernst’s water. “EnCana told us they use the same gelled [fracking] fluids as in the States.” Fracking has become a huge controversy in the US, with pending legislation that would impact its regulation.

Ernst says she heard from “at least fifty other landowners the first year” she went public, and she continues to get calls. Groundwater contamination from fracking “is pretty widespread” in Alberta, “but they’re trying to keep it hidden.” Canada has no national water standards and conducts little information gathering about groundwater.

Chromium-6 In The Water

Being an activist on behalf of her community is not the only connection Ernst has with Brockovich. Through expensive Freedom of Information requests, Ernst obtained post-fracking water well monitoring data that showed the Alberta Environment people had found hexavalent chromium in Rosebud’s well water. “The government hasn’t told this to people” in the hamlet, says Ernst.

Hexavalent chromium, otherwise known as chromium-6, is the extremely toxic substance Brockovich found in the drinking water in Hinkley, California, which led to a major class action lawsuit against Pacific Gas & Electric, which finally paid the plaintiffs more than $200 million (€146M) in 2006.

Ernst, who knows the industry well, says chromium-6 “is used in fracking and drilling.” In an odd coincidence, Erin Brockovich herself is currently involved in investigating a mile-long plume of chromium-6 contamination of drinking water – apparently caused by fracking and drilling – in Midland, Texas. In July 2009, Brockovich investigators told the press they have evidence that hydraulic fracturing specialist Schlumberger is to blame. In the continuing case, Brockovich is representing 40 householders whose water has been contaminated.

Chris Price/iStockphotos.

Trade Secrets

In 2006, when EnCana was fined $266,000 (€194,000) by the state of Colorado for “failure to protect water bearing formations,” a company spokesman complained to the press that environmentalists had been spreading “misinformation” about fracking and creating a climate of fear about hydraulic fracturing fluids.

The public however, has no way of knowing what’s in the fracking fluids because the chemicals used are considered a “trade secret” – or rather, many trade secrets.

Oil and gas companies like EnCana, Imperial Oil, Suncor, ConocoPhilips, ExxonMobil, etc., generally don’t do the hydraulic fracturing themselves, but instead hire specialty services to do it. Each of the big players in the multi-billion-dollar fracking industry – Halliburton, Calfrac Well Services, Schlumberger, BJ Services (all of which operate in Western Canada) – has its own recipe for fracking fluids, of which they are fiercely protective. The precise nature and concentrations of the chemicals in these “proprietary fluids” are not even fully known to government regulatory agencies.

By examining drillers’ patent applications and government worker health and safety records, some environmentalists and regulators in the US have been able to piece together a list of some of the fracking fluid ingredients. These include potentially toxic substances such as diesel fuel (which contains benzene, ethylbenzene, toluene, xylene, and napththalene), 2-butoxyethanol, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, methanol, formaldehyde, ethylene, glycol, glycol ethers, hydrocholoric acid, and sodium hydroxide.

US Fracking Controversy

As a sign of just how controversial hydraulic fracturing has become in the US, Exxon Mobil Corp.’s US$29 billion (€21.5b) takeover of fracking specialist XTO Energy Inc. includes a clause stating that any changes to US law that make fracking “illegal or commercially impracticable” would allow the companies to terminate their deal without paying a $900 million (€666) breakup fee.

By 2007, there were 449,000 natural gas wells in 32 American states, an increase of more than 30 percent since 2000, with serious episodes of groundwater contamination near drilling sites documented in seven states.

Companion legislation (S.1215/H.R.2766) – the Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals (FRAC) Act – is currently before Congress to require regulation of hydraulic fracturing under the federal US Safe Drinking Water Act, as well as disclosure of all chemicals used in fracking fluids. New York City Council, the mayor of New York, and a New York Times editorial have all called for a ban on hydraulic fracturing throughout the watershed from which the city obtains its drinking water. That watershed is part of the huge Marcellus shale area being staked out for natural gas drilling and fracking of tens of thousands of wells.

Drilling in Canada

Meanwhile, the BC government has been pushing drilling for unconventional sources of natural gas since at least 2005, offering $50,000 (€36,500) royalty credits for every well drilled before December 2008, and selling oil and gas “sub-surface rights” at a fever pitch.

Both BC and Saskatchewan have been courting the industry with lax or no environmental regulations and promises of low royalties charged to the companies. The Petroleum Services Association of Canada (PSAC) predicts a 10 percent increase in drilling in BC in 2010, mostly in the Montney shale field of northeastern BC and the Horn River Basin near Fort Nelson.

In 2006, researchers for West Coast Environmental Law published a report noting that the oil and gas industry had identified at least six areas of BC holding coalbed methane (CBM) natural gas potential: Peace country in the north east; Elk Valley in the southeast; Vancouver Island; the south central interior (around Merritt and Princeton); northwestern BC (around Telkwa and Iskut); and the Queen Charlotte Islands.

Nanaimo Daily News (Nov. 7, 2009) reported that Vancouver Island’s CBM gas deposits – stretching from Chemainus to Parksville, and in the Comox-Campbell River area – are currently not of interest to the industry. Nonetheless, a group called Citizens Concerned About Coalbed Methane-Vancouver Island, has for the past year been pushing for development under its action plan, “Building a Safe Future for CBM.”

In 2008, BC took in a record $2.4 billion (€1.75b) from these leases, which is now its biggest source of royalties’ income.

Fracking is also in high demand in the Bakken natural gas field in southern Saskatchewan, where 1,000 wells have been drilled and fracked over the past five years. PSAC is predicting 1,935 new wells will be drilled there in 2010, and 300 new wells in Manitoba. As a result, Alberta has just announced that it is removing environmental and regulatory “hurdles” in order to entice the natural-gas industry back.

Huge shale developments are also planned for Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The Utica shale gas field in Quebec covers an area of 5,000sq.km (1,930sq.m) that runs along the St. Lawrence River from Montreal to Quebec City.

The industry is especially interested in the Utica shale because it is close to the New York City market, with export capacity available on TransCanada Corp.’s pipeline system. If the US curtails natural gas development in the Marcellus shale, the Utica could provide gas to the New York market.

Horizontal Drilling Added

The newest technology used by the industry increases the scope of fracking. By drilling horizontal wells, where the drill bit is steered along a horizontal trajectory, the well bore is exposed to as much of the shale gas reservoir as possible. Combined with hydraulic fracturing, the two technologies create many kilometres of contact area for natural gas to flow into a well, giving the operator a fast payback.

BC energy activist Arthur Caldicott, a frequent contributor to the Watershed Sentinel, explained by email: Fracking “is a nearly-continuous operation in shale gas production. Wells may be fracked up to seventeen times along their entire length.”

Now some geologists are saying that the use of horizontal drilling and fracking for shale production exhausts the well within a mere eight years, with a decline in output of 75 percent in the first year alone. Some are even calling the sector “a speculative bubble.”

In other words, the drilling and fracking endanger the groundwater and deplete rivers and lakes all for a quick payoff to the industry and the province, after which the taxpayer is left with the clean up.

A new report from BC Auditor-General John Doyle states that the BC oil and gas commission must “improve its oversight” of the industry in order to adequately manage the risks of contamination during drilling, production and final site restoration. The minimum cost to restore one well site is $100,000 (€74,000).

While natural gas is touted as a “clean energy” source, the method of extracting this fossil fuel is dirty indeed.

Joyce Nelson is a freelance writer/researcher and the author of five books. Frack Attack was previously published in the Watershed Sentinel, the independent voice for environmental news in British Columbia. Visit: http://www.watershedsentinel.ca/

http://www.greenmuze.com/climate/energy/2562-ugly-reality-of-fracking.html

Related posts:

1. Fracking – Natural Gas Affects Water Quality
2. Finally the EPA to Study Contamination from Gas Well Fracking
3. Wyoming Ranchers win dispute over CBM discharge water

“In other words, the drilling and fracking endanger the groundwater and deplete rivers and lakes all for a quick payoff to the industry and the province, after which the taxpayer is left with the clean up.”

Fracking – Natural Gas Affects Water Quality

In our phone interview, Jessica Ernst says she’s “still getting used to” being compared to Erin Brockovich (the environmental activist made famous by Julia Robert’s film portrayal ten years ago). The comparison comes easy because the outspoken Ernst, a landowner in the town of Rosebud, Alberta, is one of the few Albertans who have publicly criticized hydraulic fracturing (called “fracking,” in the trade). This is a technology used by the oil and gas industry to access “unconventional” natural gas deposits trapped in shale, coalbed, and tight-sand formations – potentially at the expense of underground water supplies.

After her well water was contaminated by nearby fracking, Ernst decided to go public in 2006, showing visiting reporters how she could light her tap water on fire, and speaking out about Alberta land owners’ problems with the industry, especially Calgary-based EnCana. EnCana is Canada’s second biggest energy company (after Suncor) and is now also a major player in BC, with hundreds of natural-gas wells in the province.

Ernst, a biologist and environmental consultant to the oil and gas industry, says EnCana “told us ‘we would never fracture near your water.’ But the company fracked into our aquifer in that same year [2004].” By 2005, she says, “My water began dramatically changing, going bad. I was getting horrible burns and rashes from taking a shower, and then my dogs refused to drink the water. That’s when I began to pay attention.” At least fifteen water-wells had gone bad in the little community.

Tests revealed high levels of ethane, methane, and benzene in Ernst’s water. “EnCana told us they use the same gelled [fracking] fluids as in the States.” Fracking has become a huge controversy in the US, with pending legislation that would impact its regulation.

Ernst says she heard from “at least fifty other landowners the first year” she went public, and she continues to get calls. Groundwater contamination from fracking “is pretty widespread” in Alberta, “but they’re trying to keep it hidden.”

Canada has no national water standards and conducts little information gathering about groundwater.

Chromium-6 in the Water

Being an activist on behalf of her community is not the only connection Ernst has with Brockovich.  Through expensive Freedom of Information requests, Ernst obtained post-fracking water well monitoring data that showed the Alberta Environment people had found hexavalent chromium in Rosebud’s well water. “The government hasn’t told this to people” in the hamlet, says Ernst.

Hexavalent chromium, otherwise known as chromium-6, is the extremely toxic substance Brockovich found in the drinking water in Hinkley, California, which led to a major class action lawsuit against Pacific Gas & Electric, which finally paid the plaintiffs more than $200 million in 2006.

Ernst, who knows the industry well, says chromium-6 “is used in fracking and drilling.”

In an odd coincidence, Erin Brockovich herself is currently involved in investigating a mile-long plume of chromium-6 contamination of drinking water – apparently caused by fracking and drilling – in Midland, Texas.  In July 2009, Brockovich investigators told the press they have evidence that hydraulic fracturing specialist Schlumberger is to blame.  In the continuing case, Brockovich is representing 40 householders whose water has been contaminated.

Trade Secrets

In 2006, when EnCana was fined $266,000 by the state of Colorado for “failure to protect water bearing formations,” a company spokesman complained to the press that environmentalists had been spreading “misinformation” about fracking and creating a climate of fear about hydraulic fracturing fluids.

The public however, has no way of knowing what’s in the fracking fluids because the chemicals used are considered a “trade secret” – or rather, many trade secrets.

Oil and gas companies like EnCana, Imperial Oil, Suncor, ConocoPhilips, ExxonMobil, etc. generally don’t do the hydraulic fracturing themselves, but instead hire specialty services to do it.  Each of the big players in the multi-billion-dollar fracking industry – Halliburton, Calfrac Well Services, Schlumberger, BJ Services (all of which operate in Western Canada) – has its own recipe for fracking fluids, of which it is fiercely protective.

The precise nature and concentrations of the chemicals in these “proprietary fluids” are not even fully known to government regulatory agencies.

By examining drillers’ patent applications and government worker health and safety records, some environmentalists and regulators in the US have been able to piece together a list of some of the fracking fluid ingredients.  These include potentially toxic substances such as diesel fuel (which contains benzene, ethylbenzene, toluene, xylene, and napththalene), 2-butoxyethanol, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, methanol, formaldehyde, ethylene, glycol, glycol ethers, hydrocholoric acid, and sodium hydroxide.

US Fracking Controversy

As a sign of just how controversial hydraulic fracturing has become in the US, Exxon Mobil Corp.’s  December $29 billion takeover of fracking specialist XTO Energy Inc. includes a clause stating that any changes to US law that make fracking “illegal or commercially impracticable” would allow the companies to terminate their deal without paying a $900 million breakup fee.

By 2007, there were 449,000 natural gas wells in 32 US states, an increase of more than 30 percent since 2000, with serious episodes of groundwater contamination near drilling sites documented in seven states.

Companion legislation (S.1215/H.R.2766) – the Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals (FRAC) Act – is currently before Congress to require regulation of hydraulic fracturing under the federal US Safe Drinking Water Act, as well as disclosure of all chemicals used in fracking fluids. New York City Council, the mayor of New York, and a New York Times editorial have all called for a ban on hydraulic fracturing throughout the watershed from which the city obtains its drinking water.

That watershed is part of the huge Marcellus shale area being staked out for natural gas drilling and fracking of tens of thousands of wells.

Drilling in Canada

Meanwhile, the BC government has been pushing drilling for unconventional sources of natural gas since at least 2005, offering $50,000 royalty credits for every well drilled before December 2008, and selling oil and gas “sub-surface rights” at a fever pitch.

Both BC and Saskatchewan have been courting the industry with lax or no environmental regulations and promises of low royalties charged to the companies. The Petroleum Services Association of Canada (PSAC) predicts a 10 percent increase in drilling in BC in 2010, mostly in the Montney shale field of northeastern BC and the Horn River Basin near Fort Nelson.

In 2006, researchers for West Coast Environmental Law published a report noting that the oil and gas industry had identified at least six areas of BC holding coalbed methane (CBM) natural gas potential: Peace country in the north east; Elk Valley in the southeast; Vancouver Island; the south central interior (around Merritt and Princeton); northwestern BC (around Telkwa and Iskut); and the Queen Charlotte Islands.

Nanaimo Daily News (Nov. 7, 2009) has reported that Vancouver Island’s CBM gas deposits – stretching from Chemainus to Parksville, and in the Comox-Campbell River area – are currently not of interest to the industry. Nonetheless, a group called Citizens Concerned About Coalbed Methane-Vancouver Island, has for the past year been pushing for development under its action plan, “Building a Safe Future for CBM.”

In 2008, BC took in a record $2.4 billion from these leases, which is now its biggest source of royalties income.

Fracking is also in high demand in the Bakken natural gas field in southern Saskatchewan, where 1,000 wells have been drilled and fracked over the past five years. PSAC is predicting 1,935 new wells will be drilled there in 2010, and 300 new wells in Manitoba.

As a result, Alberta has just announced that it is removing environmental and regulatory “hurdles” in order to entice the natural-gas industry back.

Huge shale developments are also planned for Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The Utica shale gas play in Quebec covers an area of 5,000 square kilometres that runs along the St. Lawrence River from Montreal to Quebec City.

The industry is especially interested in the Utica shale because it is close to the New York City market, with export capacity available on TransCanada Corp.’s pipeline system. If the US curtails natural gas development in the Marcellus shale, the Utica could provide gas to the New York market.

Horizontal Drilling Added

The newest technology used by the industry increases the scope of fracking. By drilling horizontal wells, where the drill bit is steered along a horizontal trajectory, the well bore is exposed to as much of the shale gas reservoir as possible. Combined with hydraulic fracturing, the two technologies create many kilometres of contact area for natural gas to flow into a well, giving the operator a fast payback.

BC energy activist Arthur Caldicott, a frequent contributor to the Watershed Sentinel, explained by email:  Fracking “is a nearly-continuous operation in shale gas production. Wells may be fracked up to seventeen times along their entire length.”

Now some geologists are saying that the use of horizontal drilling and fracking for shale production exhausts the well within a mere eight years, with a decline in output of 75 percent in the first year alone. Some are even calling the sector “a speculative bubble.”

In other words, the drilling and fracking endanger the groundwater and deplete rivers and lakes all for a quick payoff to the industry and the province, after which the taxpayer is left with the clean up.

A new report from BC Auditor-General John Doyle states that the BC oil and gas commission must “improve its oversight” of the industry in order to adequately manage the risks of contamination during drilling, production and final site restoration. The minimum cost to restore one well site is $100,000.

While natural gas is touted as a “clean energy” source, the method of extracting this fossil fuel is dirty indeed.

***

Joyce Nelson is a freelance writer/researcher and the author of five books

[From Watershed Sentinel, March/April 2010]

Related posts:

1. The Ugly Reality of Fracking
2. Finally the EPA to Study Contamination from Gas Well Fracking
3. Wyoming Ranchers win dispute over CBM discharge water

Seriously..when is the road construction going to end on I-25 through Trinidad.
I have been traveling thru Trinidad once a month for the last several years and
it is beyond ridiculous.  LET IT END ALREADY.

Maybe you feel the same way. All I know is that it will be really nice when it gets finished.

If you want to learn more there is a website at http://www.i25trinidad.com/

Let us know your comments.

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2. Ghost Story Inspired by a trip to Trinidad Colorado

About the Book

Sean?s Secret Room Ghostly Guide to an Old West Town Sean, an eleven-year-old boy, discovers a secret room in a 100-year-old house in Trinidad, Colorado. He meets a ghost named Nicholas there, who proposes to take Sean back in time to the year 1907 in Trinidad. return, Sean agrees help to find a lost teddy bear. Nicholas? and Sean’s adventures take them in a carriage through a flood to a picnic, where Sean learns about playing mumblety peg. At Nicholas? school, exciting dime novels win out over McGuffey’s Reader. Playing hooky from school with mischievous Nicholas, the boys visit a soda fountain and nickelodeon in town. A ride on a trolley to see President Theodore Roosevelt speak to unhappy coal miners has a surprising outcome. And the lost teddy bear? Read and find out!

To learn more about Pat or to purchase a copy of her book  here on her webpage

Originally Published in this Post

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2. Time to Recycle in April in Trinidad Colorado
3. Frustrated with the I-25 Construction through Trinidad?

The BLM Royal Gorge Field Office has released a draft EA on a proposed coal lease by New Elk Coal Company, LLC located approximately 26 miles west of Trinidad, Colorado, to the north of Las Animas County Road 12 and north of the Purgatoire River.  Drafts of the EA and Finding of No Significant Impact, Geologic Engineering and Maximum Economic Recovery documents will be available for public review at the hearing.  They are also available on the Royal Gorge Field Office website at www.blm.gov/co/st/en/BLM_Information/nepa/rgfo.html (scroll to NEPA #DOI-BLM-CO-200- 2009-0018).

Written requests to testify orally at the public hearing should be received by the BLM Royal Gorge Field Office by 12:00 p.m., March 25, 2010.  Those who indicate they wish to testify when they register at the hearing may have an opportunity if time is available.

In addition, the public is invited to submit written comments concerning the fair market value and maximum economic recovery of the coal resource.  Public comments will be used in establishing fair market value for the coal resource in the described lands.  Comments should address specific factors related to fair market value including, but not limited to:
1.  The quality and quantity of the coal resource.
2.  The price that the mined coal would bring in the market place.
3.  The cost of producing the coal.
4.  The interest rate at which anticipated income streams would be discounted.
5.  Depreciation and other accounting factors.
6.  The mining method or methods which would achieve maximum economic recovery of the coal.
7.  Documented information on the terms and conditions of recent and similar coal land transactions in the lease area, and
8.  Any comparable sales data of similar coal lands.

Written comments will be accepted through April 12, 2010. Written comments may be submitted by mail to BLM-RGFO, New Elk Coal Lease, 3028 E. Main St., Cañon City, CO 81212, or email to rgfo_comments@blm.gov (please type New Elk Coal Lease in the subject line), or fax to Melissa Smeins at 719-269-8599.  For more information call Melissa Smeins at 719-269-8523.

http://www.blm.gov/co/st/en/BLM_Information/newsroom/2010/blm_to_hold_new_elk.html

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3. Time to Recycle in April in Trinidad Colorado

April 26, Trinidad Jr. College Sullivan Center, 600 Prospect St., Trinidad, 7 p.m.

Here is part of their post

Over the last couple weeks the Colorado Division of Wildlife has made several press releases concerning the 5-year review of statewide fishing regulations and “Angler Roundtable” meetings. DOW is actively seeking angler input on fishing regulations and their management practices.

Rest assured I will heed the call. There are a number of issues that I feel strongly about and will be voicing my opinion. For example, several states have mandatory “kill’ laws on their books for undesirable species. Simply if you catch one, legally you cannot release it back into the water. And undesirable is a management perspective. On the Green River in Utah, from below Flaming Gorge Reservoir to the confluence of the Colorado, it is illegal to release smallmouth bass. I think Colorado needs to adopt the same stance in a few cases throughout the state, Trappers Lake and brook trout is one such example.

I would hope that each and every one of you takes to the time to attend one of the angler round tables between now and the end of April (those announced are listed below, more to follow). At the very least, shoot an email to one of the biologists listed here and express your views. Don’t just be vocal on the forum and with your fishing buddies, make yourself heard with the DOW. They need and deserve your input.

Meeting times/locations announced as of March 20, 2010

March 23, at Coco’s Restaurant at the Holiday Inn Express in Cortez, 6-9 pm
March 30, at the Fred R. Field Western Heritage Center, Gunnison County Fairgrounds, 6-9 pm
March 31, at the Holiday Inn Express in Montrose, 6-9 pm
April 13, National Mining Museum, 120 W. 9th Street, Leadville, 6:30 p.m.
April 20, Division of Wildlife, 4255 Sinton Rd., Colorado Springs, 6:30 p.m.
April 21, Thyme Square Soup & Salad, 302 Colorado Ave., LaJunta, 7 p.m.
April 22, Division of Wildlife, 2500 S. Main St., Lamar, 7 p.m.
April 26, Trinidad Jr. College Sullivan Center, 600 Prospect St., Trinidad, 7 p.m.
April 27, Cliff Lanes Bowling Alley, 25 Main St., Westcliffe:, 7 p.m.
April 28, Pueblo State Parks Auditorium, 640 Reservoir Rd., Pueblo 7 p.m.

Comments on regulations can be submitted to:
Statewide issues, Dave Chadwick, (303)291-7174, dave.chadwick@state.co.us;
Southwest Region, John Alves, (719)587-6907, john.alves@state.co.us;
Northwest Region, Sherman Hebein, (970)255-6186, sherman.hebein@state.co.us;
Southeast Region, Doug Krieger, (719)227-5202, doug.krieger@state.co.us;
Northeast Region, Ken Kehmeier, (970)291-4350. ken.kehmeier@state.co.us.

This article was posted on the Colorado Fish Explorer Website and if you are interested in fishing in Colorado you will find this an excellent resource! Check them out.

No related posts.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Thursday launched a study to determine whether a key oil and natural gas production technique called hydraulic fracturing is contaminating water supplies.

While environmentalists are concerned that the process may be causing groundwater contamination and are calling for federal oversight, the industry says there is no proof and it is already adequately regulated.

At issue are new natural-gas reservoirs deep below the earth’s surface that companies such as Chesapeake Energy Corp. (CHK: 23.76, 0, 0%) and XTO Energy Inc. (XTO: 47.5, 0, 0%) say could multiply the available domestic reserves of a resource that has a fraction of the greenhouse-gas emissions of its fossil fuel cousins, coal and oil.

“Our research will be designed to answer questions about the potential impact of hydraulic fracturing on human health and the environment,” said Paul Anastas, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Research and Development. “The study will be conducted through a transparent, peer-reviewed process, with significant stakeholder input,” he said in a statement.

Facing increasing pressure from some Democratic lawmakers and environmentalists, the EPA said in its proposed budget earlier this year it planned to conduct a study of the process.

Previous studies by the EPA–including one review of the process for coalbed methane extraction at much shallower levels–haven’t found hydraulic fracturing carries a risk of water contamination.

Although the states regulate the actual process of hydraulic fracturing–known as fracking–the EPA already regulates the waste-water systems that either re-inject it into reservoirs or send it to waste-treatment facilities.

Last month, Steve Heare, director of the EPA’s Drinking Water Protection Division, said at a conference he hadn’t seen any documented cases that the fracking process was contaminating water supplies.

Bill Kappel, a U.S. Geological Survey official, said at the same conference that contamination of water supplies is more likely to happen as companies process the waste water from hydrofracking. In some instances, municipal water systems that treat the water have reported higher levels of heavy metals and radioactivity.

“Treatment of the [waste] water hasn’t caught up with the hydrofracking technology,” Kappel said.

Although legislation in the House and Senate to bring greater federal oversight of the hydrofracking process hasn’t gained momentum, Heare said even if such proposals are approved, it wouldn’t likely have a dramatic effect on regulation. States would still have the right under the Safe Drinking Water Act to use their own regulatory standards.

If you have had an experiences with your water well being contaminated by hydraulic fracturing or as it is better known as “fracking” please post your comments here and by all means contact the EPA. The problem with fracking is that there are chemicals used by the oil and gas industry that they do not disclose.

In this area of Southern Colorado our ground water is from underground streams, cracks and fizzures, anything underground that will hold water, and if your water well is connected to the source that they are fracking then these chemicals will be in your water well immediately, not next year or 20 years from now. And since our water wells for drinking water are not tested on a daily or frequent basis we could be drinking contaminated water for a long time before we realize it.

The common rebuttal is that the gas wells are not in the same under ground streams as our drinking water but yet there are cases of domestic water wells having their covers blown off and water spewing out of them for a day or two at a time while they were drilling a gas well a quarter of a mile or more away. They are connected in many ways and there is no one protecting us from this contamination, seems that everyone is looking the other way.

It’s time that this stopped and that the extraction of methane gas be done in a more responsible manner so that we are not looking back in a few years and regretting what has happened. We need the Oil and Gas to be good neighbors and to be proactive in protecting those of us that live where they are drilling.

Water is too precious and we all know how precious it is in Colorado yet every day millions of gallons of water just in the western part of Las Animas County are removed from the ground and disposed of. Any idea on how long it will take to replenish that ground water? Not to mention the saline and other high concentrations of dissolved solids and minerals that are being brought to the surface in addition to the chemicals used in fracking.

The consensus should be that you can take the gas that you have the rights too but you can not contaminate or remove our water or put your gas wells in our best or only building sites or have noisy generators running 24/7 next to our homes. It’s already too late for many that live here but it’s time to stop and do what is right. And what is right is not just about how much money can be made as the gas companies “Rape the Oil Field” in our backyard.

Related posts:

1. The Ugly Reality of Fracking
2. Fracking – Natural Gas Affects Water Quality
3. Wyoming Ranchers win dispute over CBM discharge water

Check out this video posted on YouTube

So is it aliens doing this? or a secret government operation….who knows but it sure is interesting why this would be happening. Just one of the mysteries of Southern Colorado.

Have you seen any of these mutilated cows yourself?

Charlie

Adobe Gold Properties

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TRINIDAD — The Perry Stokes Airport in Las Animas County will receive federal funding for the rehabilitation of one of its runways.

U.S. Rep. John Salazar, D-Colo., announced Friday that the airport, east of Trinidad, will receive $225,000 in federal funds for the rehabilitation of its main runway.

The pavement maintenance will include re-marking the runway and will extend the useful life of the pavement to preserve the capacity of the airport.

Salazar, who is a pilot, said in a press release that the funds will help make needed repairs at the Perry Stokes Airport so the facility can maintain its commitment to airport safety.

“As a pilot I’m well aware of the need to develop our rural air-service infrastructure. I’m glad to support this effort, and I will continue to support efforts to maintain the safety of our transportation system and create jobs,” Salazar said.   Las Animas County Deputy Administrator Leslee Fresquez said the contribution by the FAA is important to Las Animas County’s continuing effort to ensure airport-patron safety.

Fresquez said the funding is coming down as an annual federal entitlement that general aviation airports get each year.

“Congress has decided to appropriate about half the money to each airport. We are hoping for a total of $450,000 that we will be able to utilize this spring and summer to rehabilitate the runway,” Fresquez said.

“We are very appreciative at the funding we are receiving, but we are hopeful that we will get a second allocation.”

Las Animas County Commissioner Jim Montoya said the airport is in serious need of rehabilitation.

“This is one of the first steps in fixing our airport. We want to make this airport more self-sufficient, and this paving project will help,” Montoya said.

The airport was built in 1936 as part of the Works Progress Administration project.

In recent years, a major repaving project brought a new taxiway and a new tie-down area that county officials say affords more safety in the refueling area.

The airport sees about 250 aircraft operations each month.

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For more information contact the Corazon Gallery at 719-846-0207 or Trish Keck at 719-859-7702.

For those of you that don’t know Trinidad Colorado boasts some of the best acclaimed artists in the Southwest and we have a large artists community. Come and enjoy our local art and artists in Trinidad on April 15-30th.

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The Wyoming Environmental Quality Council has sided with a ranching couple who contested a discharge permit for coalbed methane water that was issued by the state.

A landowner group says the ruling could have important implications for Wyoming’s large coalbed methane industry, though state officials expressed doubt that Thursday’s vote would have a wide-ranging effect.

The council sided 4-2 with Marge and Bill West, who contested a permit held by Stephens Energy Co. The Wests have lost 100 acres of haymeadow and 200 cottonwood trees because of salt buildup from coalbed methane water flowing across their Powder River Basin property, said the couple’s attorney, Kate Fox, of Cheyenne.

The Wests argued that the state Department of Environmental Quality issued the permit last year using rules since criticized as unscientific by the Environmental Protection Agency and by consultants for the state.

About 170 of the 1,000 or so active water discharge permits in the Powder River Basin have been granted under the rules. Thursday’s ruling in theory could open the way for more permits to be contested.

……

Any appeal from the Environmental Quality Council would go to District Court.

Coalbed methane wells pump water out of saturated coal deposits, depressurizing the groundwater not unlike opening a soda bottle. Methane gas condenses out of the groundwater and is pumped out.

Millions of gallons of byproduct groundwater has been discharged on the surface in the Powder River Basin, which as of 2008 ranked as the nation’s 16th most productive gas area.

Read the entire article here

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Sponsored by the City of Trinidad and ReGroup

Friday, April 23, 8 a.m.–6 p.m.

Saturday, April 24, 8 a.m.–noon

Waste Connections

2600 Freedom Road

With the newer single-stream recycling, all items are collected in the same bin and thus can be stored in your home without separating. Empty and rinse all containers but do not flatten. Only cardboard boxes should be flattened. No need to remove container labels, paper clips, stamps, address labels, staples, tape, wire, metal fasteners, rubber bands, spiral bindings, plastic tabs. Envelopes are now accepted except for orange/brown envelopes (such as manila envelopes).

Items accepted

Paper

White or pastel office paper, file folders, egg cartons (no Styrofoam), paperboard boxes such as for cereal and crackers, paper bags, milk/juice cartons (no foil pouches), paperback books, phonebooks, magazines and catalogs, brochures, blueprints, newspapers and inserts (no bags), junk mail and greeting cards, corrugated cardboard and cardboard boxes (flatten).

Plastic

#1-7 plastic bottles and jars (no caps) and tubs. No microwave trays. No compostable cups; these are usually made from corn but look like plastic.

Glass

Bottles and jars, all colors.

Aluminum

Clean, balled aluminum foil (2” or larger) and pie pans. (Put your aluminum cans in the boxes around town to benefit Habitat for Humanity or take them to the rehab center to benefit its operations.)

Steel/tin cans Empty aerosol cans (no caps) Loose metal lids and steel bottle caps

NO plastics not listed; no plastic bags, bottle and jar caps, microwave trays, 6-pack holders, needles or syringes. NO shredded paper, paper ream wrappers, tissues, paper towels, napkins, waxed paper or waxed cardboard, hardback books, orange or brown envelopes, frozen food containers, paper to-go containers. NO mirrors, light bulbs, plates or vases, drinking glasses, window glass. NO hazardous or biohazardous waste. NO stickers or sheets of address labels. NO Styrofoam. NO ceramics or Pyrex.

Questions? Call ReGroup at 719-845-8218

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Photo shows the 1" layer of Iridium dust from the asteroid. Photo was taken 10 miles west of Trinidad Colorado

Read the rest of the story here on ScienceBuzz.org

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This summer you can visit over 100 US National Parks and Monuments free on three weekends starting on June 20th and 21st. Earlier this month Interior Secretary Ken Salazar made the announcement that the entrance fees will be waived on the weekends of June 20-21, July 18-19, and August 15-16.

This does include these treasured destinations like the Grand Canyon and Yosemite National Parks.

Get more information from the US Department of Interior’s website for the National Park Service. Also check out the National Geographic websites for the Grand Canyon and Yosemite and other National Parks to help plan your trip.

To make the fun even more affordable, many national park concessioners are joining the National Park Service in welcoming visitors on this summer’s fee free weekends with the their own specials and discounts.

Did you know that many of the nations National Parks never charge an entrance fee? So if you are looking for a place to go camping or hiking this summer this is a great place to start looking.

Charlie
Trinidadco.com

Note: Before you go you may need some supplies so check out OutdoorSportsCoupons.com to  see if you can find some coupons, coupon codes and discounts to make sure that you save all you can on any gear you might need for camping, hiking, cycling, climbing, etc.

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Also you can see more of Jaquie on YouTube

We welcome your comments…. and be sure to be at this years Blues Fest because it is sure to be a special event.

Charlie
Trinidadco.com

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Headlining this year’s Blues Fest is the Tommy Castro Band from San Jose, CA, Ronnie Baker Brooks of Chicago and the Tad Robinson of Chicago,featuring Alex Schultz.

The music in Central Park will begin at noon with performances by
Trinidad’s Jacquie Gipson, the Clique, also of Trinidad,

A photo from a previous Trinidaddio Blues Fest

Ken Saydak of La Veta (formerly Chicago, IL), Soul Kitchen featuring Hillary Smith, Chris Dracup & Tommy Elskes of Albuquerque, the venerable Los Albuquerque Blues Connection (ABC), and Dikki Du (AKA Troy Carrier) and the Zydeco Krewe of Opelousas, LA.

Ticket prices remain the same as last year: $20 general admission,
$40 VIP, $5 for kids 6-12, and children under 5 are free.

The ticket price to the Friday night Pre-Fest party at the Lucky Monkey has been reduced this year to $25, but does not include dinner (food vendors will be present).

More details on the Fest’s bands and sponsors will be released soon.

For more information, log on to www.trinidaddio.com or call 719-859-8031

Tickets:
NO PRICE INCREASE THIS YEAR: $20 FOR GENERAL ADMISSION AND
$40 FOR OUR LIMITED PREFERRED SEATING IN THE BIG TENTS
(TABLE AND CHAIR GUARANTEED!) IN THE SHADE, RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE STAGE!

Neil Sexton, formerly of Trinidad and now residing in Utica, NY,
will again be the master of ceremonies for the event he originally founded in August of 1999 which has grown from an audience of several hundred to last year’s estimated attendance of 5000 to 6000.

“To the audience, the all-day Fest will seem unchanged from previous years,” says Jerry Campbell, “however, there will be some differences behind the scenes, mostly in ways that we think will improve the experience for both attendees and participants.”

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Fred has practical personal experience and knowledge that comes from years of research and from the construction of his own home that is totally off-grid using nothing but Solar and Wind and passive energy saving techniques. Fred’s home is just west of Aguilar and is local to the Southern Colorado area for consulting but can also use your home plans to provide you a site analysis.

So whether you are just considering your alternative energy options or are ready to make a move to a more sustainable energy lifestyle be sure to check out his web page at MountainHomeConsulting.com or call Fred at 719-859-1992 for more information.  You will be glad you did!

Way to go Fred, we wish you the very best in success with your new Business!

Charlie

Trinidadco.com

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Published at http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/apr2009/2009-04-20-093.asp

DENVER, Colorado, April 20, 2009 (ENS) – The Colorado Supreme Court today ruled that coal bed methane producers must adhere to the same water rules and regulations as other state water users.

In 2005, two ranch families who own water rights in Archuleta and La Plata counties sued the State Engineer, arguing that he was acting illegally by failing to require BP America Production Company to get permits and water court approvals to pump tributary groundwater as part of the company’s coal bed methane production.

Judge Gregory Lyman, the water judge in Durango, agreed and the State Engineer and BP appealed to the Colorado Supreme Court.

At issue in the appeal was whether the state District Court, Water Division erred in not deferring to the State Engineer’s determination that the removal of water from geologic formations solely to facilitate coalbed methane mining operations is not a “beneficial use” within the State Engineer’s Ground Water Act permitting authority.

Coal bed methane water being discharged (Photo by M. Scott)

For years, coal bed methane producers have been allowed to pump large amounts of groundwater connected to nearby streams, called tributary groundwater, as part of their extraction operations without a water right or approvals from the State Engineer and the water courts.

Coal bed methane is natural gas, 99 percent methane, that is generated and stored in coal seams. Water keeps the coal bed methane in place in underground formations. When groundwater is pumped, the gas is released from the formation and can be captured by producers.

Coal bed methane producers often re-inject most of the water underground, but in different, deeper formations, so the water is not available to other water users or the nearby streams as it was before the methane production.

A State Engineer permit and water court approval are usually required before tributary groundwater can be pumped. These approvals are designed to ensure that the water rights of others, including instream flow rights held by the Colorado Water Conservation Board, are not injured.

Coal bed methane producers have for years argued that they are not using the water but are simply “disposing” of it, therefore they are not subject to these requirements.

Today’s ruling in Vance v. Wolfe affirms Judge Lyman’s decision. The Colorado Supreme Court found that the extraction of tributary groundwater for coal bed methane production is a “beneficial use” of water that is subject to water rights administration and approvals by the water courts.

“This is a victory for both ranchers and our streams,” said Mely Whiting, an attorney with the conservation group Trout Unlimited, which participated in the appeal in support of the ranchers.

“The decision sends a strong message that just because you are part of the oil and gas industry, you are not above and beyond Colorado water laws,” she said.

Whiting gave credit for the ruling to the Vance and Fitzgerald families who brought the suit as well as to attorney Sarah Klahn of the Denver law firm of White & Jankowski, which specializes in natural resources law. “They did the lion’s share of work, and they deserve congratulations for this important achievement,” she said.

“The court made a sound ruling based on a common sense reading of Colorado law,” said Bart Miller, with Western Resource Advocates, which participated by filing a “friend of the court” brief on the appeal.

“The decision implicitly recognizes the scarcity and value of water in Colorado,” he said. “It’s an important decision.”

Phase 2 of Colorado’s Statewide Water Supply Initiative estimates that by 2050, Colorado may need an additional 1.7 million acre-feet of water. Without new water supplies, it is estimated that 77 percent of agriculture will be dried up.

“Produced water and disposal should not be in the same sentence,” says Pat O’Toole, a rancher in Savery, Wyoming, a state that is rich in coal bed methane. “Water is much too valuable a commodity. We need to embrace the reality that CBM development will produce water and that water can be cleaned at reasonable cost.”

Published in Enviromental News Service

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