Public Health and Environmental Advocates Urge Court to Halt Fracking Next to Bella Romero Academy

Greeley, CO -- Today, environmental and public health advocates filed a motion for a temporary restraining order to halt construction on a dangerous hydraulic fracturing (fracking) project within feet of Bella Romero Academy in Greeley, Colorado.

The project was originally planned for a location near a different school in a predominantly white, middle-class community, but after a public outcry it was relocated to a site less than 1,000 feet from the Bella Romero campus in a low-income, predominantly Latino community. The court heard a challenge to the project in December, but has still not issued a ruling. In the meantime, drilling activity has commenced, subjecting Bella Romero students and their families to increased air pollution and other effects of fracking.

The motion, filed in the Denver County District Court on behalf of Weld Air & Water, Sierra Club, NAACP Colorado State Conference, and Wall of Women by the University of Denver Law Clinic, urges the court to halt drilling activity until a ruling on the merits of the case is issued.

"This project endangers the students of Bella Romero, the community, and the state of Colorado,” said Bella Romero parent Patricia Nelson. “This is setting a dangerous precedent -- the industry has been allowed to encroach on our open spaces, our homes, and now our schools. They are robbing my child and his classmates of the high quality of life that Coloradans have enjoyed for generations.”

“The harms fracking does to nearby communities are well-documented, and it is irresponsible to allow drilling to occur next to where children learn and play before a ruling in this case can be issued,” said Eric Huber, Sierra Club Managing Attorney. “We urge the court to recognize the irreparable harm these children are being faced with and put a stop to this dirty, dangerous project immediately.”

"Keeping children safe should be a non-negotiable.  Putting large scale industrial operations so close to where children are playing daily is unconscionable.  No other industry, other than oil and gas, would be able to do so legally. Our executive, legislative, and judiciary branches of government in Colorado have failed to protect the health and safety of our most vulnerable populations from this industry,” said Therese Gilbert of Weld Air & Water. “The students at Bella Romero depend on us to keep them safe, and we have failed them.”

“After continued visits to Bella Romero Academy by hundreds of supporters including teachers, gubernatorial candidates, parents, press, front range activists, scientists, neighbors, and medical professionals, we stand united to say stop the fracking now,” said Paddy McClelland of Wall of Women Colorado. “We will not allow this industry to continue to harm our children and our Earth.”

“As a lifelong professional educational specialist, and as a neighbor to Bella Romero School and community I stand strongly against the continuation of Extraction Oil’s school project,” said Dr. Shirley Smithson, a Sierra Club member who lives next to the school. “It is without question a wrongdoing. The children of Bella Romero will be impacted educationally, environmentally, physically, socially, and emotionally by the presence of drilling at the edge of their school yard. It is highly dangerous at all levels. As a community member and neighbor I personally know the impact of the project and know that the children will be experiencing the same trauma, fear, distraction, and concern that I am each day. They will watch their community, the land, and the school evolve from a wonderful country setting and family center into a harmful industrial giant that has no awareness of their true needs for safety and wellness. It is a crime against humanity and the future.”