The Commission will make a decision following formal hearings July 30 – August 2.
On June 28, Save The Aurora Reservoir (STAR) received notice of the Colorado Energy and Carbon Management Commission (ECMC) Director Julie Murphy’s recommendation for the Lowry Ranch CAP. It’s important to note that this is simply a procedural action and does not mean the CAP is or will be approved. ECMC Commissioners are not required to take the Director’s recommendation. In fact, they have previously denied permits following recommendation from the Director.
“STAR has requested the opportunity to be granted affected party status, which would allow us to present evidence and expert testimony on the impacts of the CAP,” said Marsha Goldsmith Kamin, President of STAR. “We look forward to presenting to the ECMC Commissioners and are confident that they will find the evidence compelling.”
Along with the Director’s recommendation, the notice from the ECMC included copies of comments from other governmental entities who were invited to consult on the CAP. Notably, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency expressed their concern that the mineral exploration and fracking activities proposed by Civitas “could create releases of hazardous waste” from the Lowry Landfill. The comment continues:
“The EPA expects the state of Colorado, Civitas, and all other drilling operators to determine a setback that will not negatively impact the effectiveness of the [Lowry Ranch Superfund] Site’s remedy. Measures of a preventative and conservative nature must be taken to ensure protection of the landfill remedies and the containment of hazardous substances.”
Letter from EPA to eCMC dated may 3, 2024
What happens next?
The Lowry Ranch CAP is currently scheduled for an official ECMC hearing beginning on July 30 and continuing through August 2 as needed. Because the hearing will be focused on testimony from named parties, the ECMC is providing a separate public comment session on Monday, July 15.
It is critical that impacted community members show up and speak out against fracking at the Aurora Reservoir on July 15!
We are immensely grateful to the hundreds of people who raised their voices against the CAP during the ECMC local public hearing on May 16 (if you missed it, check out this recap). Unfortunately, the Director’s recommendation is one more reason why we cannot let up our efforts. We must continue to remind the ECMC commissioners of their duty, per their own mission statement: to regulate oil and gas activities “in a manner that protects public health, safety, welfare, the environment and wildlife resources.”
Sign up to let us know you will attend this virtual session and voice your personal concerns >>
While ECMC has not yet shared the exact start or end time, we hope that the ability to join remotely from your computer or phone will make it possible for as many community members as possible to participate. Please RSVP today to save the date, and we will email you further details as well as the meeting link once it is provided by ECMC.
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