Colorado Rising for Health & Safety

Community engagement - we participated in numerous meetings to support residents and grassroots partners in local campaigns to stop fracking, achieve air quality monitoring, and strengthen oil and gas regulations. In addition, we provided much-needed resources through volunteer mobilization, development of online campaign landing pages, drafting and circulating petitions and sign-on letters, drafting and distributing media alerts and press releases, media outreach, and the creation, printing and distribution of campaign materials. Specific areas of involvement included (1) in loveland, we monitored the application process for a 26-well fracking project proposed near neighborhoods. We worked closely with loveland residents to host an art build and several rallies with more than 100 people in attendance, assisted in creating materials for door-to-door distribution of over 1,500 flyers, and developed and launched an online landing page for residents to learn about the fracking proposal and potential impacts to the community. We emailed our supporters to generate public comment to the loveland city council, city planning director, and the Colorado oil and gas conservation commission which resulted in over 70 comments to the cogcc in opposition to the proposed centerra east fracking proposal. (2) in larimer county & ft collins, Colorado, we supported grassroots efforts through sign-on letters, petitions, distributing flyers, webinars, rallies, emails to supporters, and mobilizing residents to hold larimer county commissioners accountable for upholding newly enacted oil and gas regulations, to pressure the Colorado department of public health and environment to shut down the a specific facility for repeated emissions violations, and to urge fort collins city council members and larimer county commissioners to adopt city and countywide air quality monitoring programs. (3) in aurora, Colorado near the proposed lowry ranch oil and gas comprehensive area plan cap, we supported residents and a local grassroots community group in aurora to oppose the lowry ranch cap, which includes plans to drill over 160 fracking wells in close proximity to the aurora reservoir and neighborhoods. In collaboration with allies, we helped plan a community forum with nearly 80 people in attendance to educate and engage residents on the issue and impacts of the cap. (4) other caps: we drafted and circulated petitions to oppose three separate comprehensive area plans in aurora and weld counties: bronco cap, box elder cap and guanella cap. Through collaborative efforts with allies, we sent multiple emails alerting our supporters about the impacts that these large-scale fracking projects would have on our air, water, land, public health, safety and climate. Collectively, we generated over 1,000 online petition signatures, mobilized hundreds of people to testify at cogcc hearings, and participated in webinars and community meetings in opposition to these projects. (5) throughout 2022, we partnered with over 35 ally organizations and participated in over 75 meetings to host, co-host, co-sponsor, or support more than a dozen public events to educate thousands of people about the impacts of fossil fuels on Colorado's water and air quality, public health, safety, economy and climate. Events included rallies, panel discussions, webinars, tabling, and distributing flyers. We joined ally organizations in attending and testifying at the Colorado department of public health and environment environmental justice task force hearings. We joined and participated in a statewide just transition round table to connect with partners across the state and provide input on what a just and equitable transition away from fossil fuels and toward a renewable energy future might look like in Colorado. Discussions centered around how oil and gas workers might be able to transition out of the oil and gas fields and into other sectors. As members of the working families party coalition, we held a seat as state co-chair, and participated as a member of the state executive committee. We took part in their endorsement interviews. We also joined the stop the uinta basin railway coalition to support strategic efforts to oppose a proposal that will bring countless mile-long oil trains filled with heated waxy crude from Utah to denver for refinement. The train route being proposed would travel alongside the Colorado river which supplies drinking water for 7 western states.

Policy and regulations advocacy - we sent emails to educate our supporters and help generate turnout for hb22- 1244 public protections from toxic air contaminants - a bill to monitor, study and further regulate certain hazardous air pollutants. We began laying the groundwork for drafting policy that would address water conservation in oil and gas operations to be brought forth in the 2023 legislative session. Research was performed on issues pertaining to the lack of reporting and public transparency of fresh water procurement and usage in oil and gas operations in Colorado, as well as issues with the treatment, storage and disposal of highly toxic and potentially radioactive produced water from fracking operations.

Public education - with allies and alone and often combined with our community engagement, we hosted, co-hosted, co-sponsored, or supported more than a dozen public events to educate thousands of people about the impacts of fossil fuels on Colorado's water and air quality, public health, safety, economy and climate. Events included rallies, panel discussions, webinars, tabling, and flyers. In addition, we maintained an active social media presence.

Supporting organizations with a similar purpose: Colorado Rising provided some support for the 501(c)(3) organization, Colorado Rising for communities during its fourth year of operation. Colorado Rising for communities has a compatible mission and in 2022 engaged in public education, community organizing, outreach and public interest litigation cases that have the potential to mitigate the negative impacts of oil and gas development.