In 2022, the Sierra Club CO Chapter championed the passage of a landmark law requiring full disclosure of the chemicals used in oil and gas operations, including fracking and other down-hole activities. The legislation was prompted by years of scientific findings showing the use of toxic substances in oil and gas production that threaten air and groundwater quality and public health. The law was the first of its kind in the nation, crafted through complicated negotiations between lawmakers, community members, and the Polis administration. It mandated transparency from operators, manufacturers, and distributors, and directed the Energy and Carbon Management Commission (ECMC) to publish this information publicly.
More than two years later, that transparency has yet to fully materialize. The ECMC has failed to ensure meaningful compliance with the law. Chemical disclosure remains incomplete, with only a fraction of eligible well sites reporting the chemicals used. This failure not only undermines public trust but puts the health of Coloradans at risk, especially considering a study by the EPA in 2016 found that there are over 1600 different chemicals in fracking fluids and produced water.
This pattern of weak implementation and industry deference is unacceptable. Coloradans deserve to know what chemicals are being pumped into their communities, and they deserve regulators and a government that will enforce the laws passed. It is time for the Polis administration to get serious and put the protection of Coloradans and our environment over industry interests.
