We are grateful to everyone who attended the STAR Town Hall at Southshore Lighthouse on April 13. With 50 people in attendance, we were able to get critical information out to the community and connect with new members.

STAR founder Kevin Chan opened the meeting with a brief history and thanked everyone who has been involved to this point. Next, Bill Good enlightened the attendees with a presentation on the general risks associated with fracking as well as the specific dangers posed by the Lowry Ranch CAP. The presentation highlighted the issues we are all concerned with:

• The air we breathe in a place that is already fifth worst in the United States.
• Access to clean and plentiful water. The proposed Lowry Ranch fracking project will consume more than 3 billion gallons of water and emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the air.
• Our ability to enjoy the outdoors, including the freedom to safely recreate at the Aurora Reservoir and in our neighborhood parks.

Next we had Mike Foote, an environmental lawyer retained by Save The Aurora Reservoir, explain in more detail the actions we are pursuing with both Arapahoe County and the Colorado Energy & Carbon Management Commission (ECMC). One exciting update to share: Since the meeting, where we discussed requesting a local public hearing, we have received support from the county for this request. In addition, we are working towards being recognized as an Affected Party — a status that gives us equal representation with the oil and gas operator at the final hearing.

Finally, we took questions and hopefully provided some good answers. If you were unable to attend the event or have additional questions, don’t miss our virtual “CHAT CAP” sessions every Thursday from 5:30 to 7. Watch for announcements here and in our Facebook group.