Protest flyer on floor in Boulder, CO

Anti-fracking group protests Boulder orchestra over oil company donations

From an Article by John Bear, Boulder Daily Camera, May 5, 2017

A flier from protesters is pictured on the floor during a performance Friday at the Macky Auditorium on the Univerisity of Colorado campus in Boulder.

Boulder Chamber Orchestra performed Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony on Friday evening with tickets available free to students from Boulder Valley, St. Vrain Valley and Jefferson County school districts.

However, East Boulder County United, an anti-fracking group, is taking issue with the orchestra taking donations from Extraction Oil and Gas protested prior to the performance at Macky Auditorium on Friday night.

“We are concerned citizens and we are doing this for the protection of our families,” EBCU member Kristin McLean said. “We aren’t doing this to be disruptive, but to bring awareness that Boulder County is about to be fracked because as of May 1, it’s legal.”

Boulder County had a series of consecutive moratoriums in place since February 2012 against accepting and processing new applications for oil and gas development in unincorporated parts of the county. The latest one ended at the conclusion of the workday on Monday.

A representative from the Boulder Chamber Orchestra declined to comment, but the board of directors provided the Daily Camera with a statement on Friday, saying that organizations like it rely on donations from individuals and corporations because of cuts to arts funding during the past several decades.

The statement went on to say that donations it received for the Beethoven symphony will go to providing free tickets to public school students.

“We understand corporate donations may present difficult and controversial issues,” the statement continued. “But we viewed the acceptance of funds as way of ensuring that some good can come from otherwise divisive issues surrounding corporate stewardship.”

McLean said seven activists blew whistles inside the auditorium and distributed information regarding the dangers of fracking — both vocally and by flier. She said the activists bought $562 of tickets, a statement that could not be immediately confirmed with Boulder Chamber Orchestra on Friday night.

She said that the group did not disrupt the performance, but the whistle-blowing prompted a response from University of Colorado police, who stayed through the second movement of the symphony.

EBCU earlier this week posted a message on its Facebook page calling on people to make their misgivings known with regard to the orchestra accepting money from an oil company. The orchestra’s Facebook page has multiple comments to that effect posted on it.

Extraction Oil and Gas spokesman Brian Cain said it was unfortunate that the orchestra was being criticized for taking money from his company.

He said his company has a “broad and very comprehensive corporate giving program.

“It is unfortunate that a group of individuals would try to for political reasons, or their own political stance, try to block an orchestra playing for high school students,” he said. “Supporting the organizations that make up the fabric of our community is where we should all find common ground.”

A portion of the ticket proceeds from Friday night’s performance go to the American Civil Liberties Union, Emergency Family Assistance Association and Out Boulder County.

Entrance to Existing Antero Facility

WDTV.COM 5 News: Concerns Over Antero Wastewater Complex

Part I: Citizen Concerns Over Antero Wastewater Complex

In August, Antero Resources announced plans for a state-of-the-art advanced wastewater treatment complex in Doddridge County. The new treatment facility is expected to create hundreds of new jobs and about $1.5 million dollars in tax revenue for Doddridge county, but citizens in the county and nearby areas have concerns over the radioactive waste the facility will produce.

“You know radioactivity isn’t something that is easily disposed of, you know we hear about these landfills, we just don’t know,” said Don Jackson, a Richie County resident and also retired inspector for the DEP.

Bill Hughes is a chairman for Wetzel County’s Solid Waste Authority and an avid follower of Marcellus Shale operations. “It has been known for decades that Marcellus Shale is remarkable higher in radioactivity than almost any other black shale that they’ve tested,” said Hughes.

And many people wonder what is exactly in the brine. “Well it’s a cornucopia of different elements. Essentially we don’t know without further testing. But with the data that we have seen, the variability in these samples is tremendous. We had a sample in Wheeling with a pH of 2.6 which is very strongly acidic, you know hydraulic acid and if a truck like that spills it would form an acid fog cloud that would harm first responders,” said Dr. Ben Stout, a Biology professor at Wheeling Jesuit University.

WDTV 5 News spoke with Antero’s Chief Administrative Officer and Regional Vice President Alvyn Schopp, he said their pilot studies find the radioactivity from the materials produced to be below background levels and are qualified for West Virginia landfill purpose.

In regards to disaster readiness, Schopp said once Antero is further along into the facility development and construction, they will be sure to have an excellent relationship with first responders. Antero said they will also hold tours for the first responders and provide specific training. Schopp also said while they will be prepared for emergency situations, safety prevention is always a priority for first responders, employees and the surrounding community.

Construction is set to begin sometime in early spring and the facility should be operational by the end of 2017.

Part II: Citizen Concerns Over Antero Wastewater Complex

Antero officials told 5 News their pilot studies show safe levels of radiation for West Virginia landfills, but some people have their concerns about the state’s current regulations.

“At this point in time, West Virginia has absolutely no framework to properly to legislate regulate and enforce radioactive waste disposal of any level and any landfill. We are doing a fairly poor job of it as we speak, complete proper testing is not yet been done at a lot of the landfills,” said Bill Hughes, Wetzel County’s Solid Waste Authority and an avid follower of Marcellus Shale operations.

“I think that’s a potential solution, proper testing all the way through every step of the way. If this company intends on doing this, they get the necessary permits, which isn”t much from the state. They should have them [the landfills] monitored all the way through. If were going to be an experiment, let’s take some data,” said Dr. Ben Stout, a Biology professor at Wheeling Jesuit University.

Antero’s Chief Administrative Officer and Regional Vice President Alvyn Schopp said they are looking at plans for a landfill close to the plant but they have not yet filed any permits.

Other concerns involve the actual recycling process of the wastewater itself. “If we can recycle large quantities and be relatively confident that the end product is in-fact clean and usable and any leaks or spills would be safe, that’s highly desirable. I get the impression that this [waste water recycling] is still unproven technology, on a small lab scale it might work, but unproven technology is risky,” said Hughes.

“And you know this plant may not be what it set out to do, but once it’s in practice and producing large quantities of a waste, who knows where it goes from there. Our drinking water is certainly a concern,” said Don Jackson, a Richie County resident and also retired inspector for the DEP.

In response to some of the citizen concerns, Schopp said: Antero does not want to do anything that would endanger citizens. We feel this new facility is taking the flowback water and dealing with in the most responsible way. We will work closely with the DEP to ensure everything we do is properly tested and will be no harm to the watersheds or community.

At the most recent Doddridge County Commission meeting, about 60 people gathered for an informational session with Antero about the new wastewater treatment facility.

See also: www.FrackCheckWV.net