Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission: a response to the documentary Gasland

What this document is

This short document is issued by the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC), part of Colorado’s Department of Natural Resources. It responds to the documentary Gasland, which alleges that the hydraulic fracturing of oil and gas wells has contaminated nearby water wells with methane in several states, including Colorado.

The COGCC states that, because informed public debate depends on accurate information, it wishes to correct several errors in the film’s portrayal of the Colorado incidents. The text includes background on methane — noting that it can be biogenic, produced by bacteria, or created by geologic processes involving heat and pressure — as part of explaining how the gas found in some water wells arises.

About this copy

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