Residents in Northern Colorado plan to speak out against a proposed oil and gas site north of Windsor because of worries about health and safety.
Verdad Resources wants to build a 22-well site called Century Pad in unincorporated Weld County.
For the residents organizing against it, the fight is about health, safety, and air quality in communities near Windsor, Timnath, and Severance.
Here's what to know
The Greeley Tribune reported that the company is seeking a Weld County permit for the project, which would sit near Weld County Road 74, East Harmony Road, and Weld County Road 15.
According to the residents' website, centurypad.org, the public won't be admitted to the Weld Oil and Gas Location Assessment hearing at 9 a.m. Thursday in Greeley, which will take place in the hearing room for the Weld County Board of County Commissioners. Per the Tribune, one hearing officer will preside and review requests to attend and speak ahead of time.
Neighbors worried about drilling so close to homes have found a public voice in Windsor resident Brett Challenger, who lives near the proposed site and was approved to speak. He said, "People are upset about this site. It's about health and safety, and that's why people are unified on this issue. Everyone wants clean air."
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Weld County and state energy regulators are still reviewing the proposal, according to project information cited by the Tribune. State commission records say the wells would extend into subsurface areas beneath both Weld and Larimer counties, and the amended filing puts surface disturbance at about 17.8 acres.
More background
According to centurypad.com, Verdad has operated wells around Colorado since 2014 and now has roughly 140 sites statewide. Earlier this year, Peoria Resources bought the company's oil and gas operations in a deal worth about $1.26 billion, the Tribune reported.
Peoria is part of JAPEX Corporation.
What's being done?
Residents opposing the Century Pad have organized around the project and plan to speak at the county hearing, even though participation is limited to speakers approved in advance.
Challenger said the group doesn't expect the permit to be denied but wants the company's work properly regulated: "Does the permit meet the regulations? If it's not denied, you have to put conditions on the company to stress best management practices. Day to day, reduce the level of what can happen."
Where can I learn more?
Concerns around the Century Pad echo fights in other places over drilling, pollution, and how much say nearby residents get.
• Across Colorado, regulators face pressure as new wells are getting dirtier even while total pollution falls.
• In Belmont County, Ohio, residents say oil and gas expansion is reshaping life in their backyards.
• Health data show oil and gas impact health through pollution linked to asthma and early deaths.
• In Utah, voters are weighing air quality and oil and gas impacts alongside other environmental policies.
• Families say weak state rules let companies abandon wells, poisoning family farms without meaningful accountability.
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