All Local, All The Time
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In 2018, the EPA reported the total generation of municipal solid waste (MSW) in the United States was 292.4 million tons or 4.9 pounds per person per day. Of the total MSW, 25 million tons were composted. This included approximately 22.3 million tons of yard trimmings and 2.6 million tons of food waste across the United States. At a local level, Boulder County estimates that almost 20% of the waste stream in Boulder County is plant trimmings and fruit and vegetable scraps that could be recycled as compost. As part of Boulder County’s...
Last year, the Boulder County Commissioners enacted a moratorium on oil and gas development in the county. This came as a result of Crestone Peak Resources' 2018 proposal for a drilling project that would span a 1.5 mile stretch of Highway 52 and could include up to 140 wells, which would drain 10 square miles of underground deposits. Surrounding residents rose up in opposition of the proposal and, on June 28, 2019, Boulder County initiated an emergency moratorium that banned all new oil and...
On Thursday, Dec. 12, Lookout Alliance, 350 Boulder County, and Colorado Rising hosted a community forum that discussed threats from proposed fracking development in Boulder County. Currently, a moratorium that bans fracking development is in effect until March 2020. As this end date approaches, anti-fracking groups such as these are working to convince county commissioners to adopt revisions on oil and gas regulations or ban fracking altogether. This forum brought together legal experts, environmental activists, and policy makers in hopes of...
Oil and gas development in Boulder County is on pause until March 2020, but that doesn’t mean The Lookout Alliance has taken a break. In collaboration with 350 Colorado, TLA has put together a petition that calls for a complete ban on fracking in Boulder County. The petition comes at a time when the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) is reviewing and updating oil and gas regulations. In addition to the petition, the COGCC is currently accepting commentary from the public on each of Crestone Peak Resources’ three project pe...
Just one day after leading a large contingent to the Global Climate Strike in Denver on Sept. 20, local environmental coalition The Lookout Alliance co-hosted the Colorado Climate Crisis Teach-In, an event aimed at empowering individuals of all ages to work for climate solutions. Heading up their panel on youth activism was Niwot junior Maya Beauvineau, who is working both in her school and in her community to bring "youth voices" to the fight against what she calls "the greatest threat that we...
Late last month, a judge in Boulder County District Court dismissed 20 of the 34 claims brought in a lawsuit filed by the Board of County Commissioners in 2018 to halt a large oil and gas drilling project proposed by Crestone Peak Resources. The court further determined that the county is responsible for Crestone’s attorney’s and court fees, the total amount of which will be determined at a hearing on Jan.16, 2020. The remaining 14 claims were either settled in Crestone’s favor, or withdrawn by the county. In a statement released on...
The controversial topic of climate change resides at the forefront of Front Range residents' hearts and minds. Living next to the picturesque Rockies, amidst protected open space, and near pristine lakes and reservoirs, we are acutely aware of climate change ramifications. In years with milder winters and less snowfall, farmers, ranchers, firefighters, forest service, hunters, and many others feel the impact in different ways that can affect livelihoods, incomes, and futures. Some argue that...
In February, Colorado State University played host to the Medical Symposium on Health Effects of Oil & Gas Development in Colorado, which featured multiple speakers in the scientific, legal and health communities. On Sunday, Aug. 18, The Lookout Alliance, In partnership with the Colorado branch of Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR), showed video recordings of the symposium at the Boulder County Public Library. Presenters included Dr. Beth Ewaskowitz and Dr. Detlev Helmig. Last...
The Lookout Alliance gathered on Wednesday, July 24 at The Left Hand Grange (195 2nd Avenue, Niwot) to discuss newly released reports on the air quality surrounding Boulder Reservoir. The group hosted Dr. Detlev Helmig, associate research professor at the University of Colorado’s Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, who presented the findings from the INSTAAR air quality testing lab at Boulder Reservoir. The lab pulls air samples to test oil and gas emissions coming into Boulder County. It...
We’re fortunate to live in a state whose geography and geology is diverse and varied, yielding dramatic landscapes that have long inspired exploration and adventure.But Colorado’s beautiful landscape also contains great amounts of natural resources, including crude oil and natural gas. Because of these energy-rich resources, the state’s land rights and use have been hotly contested since its earliest days as a territory. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, almost 9...
Two of the founding members of The Lookout Alliance (TLA), Leesah Patt and Amanda Janusz, officially severed ties with the organization they founded and organized after the group and its mission were co-opted by LOGIC (League of Oil and Gas Impacted Coloradans), according to a press release from the two women. When oil and gas interests placed the Heatherwood mineral rights’ owners in their sights in November 2018, Janusz and Patt organized the community, recruited volunteers, and sponsored a town hall meeting attended by nearly 200...
A local anti-fracking group, born out of the Heatherwood neighborhood in Gunbarrel, is reaching out with a new name to join with the greater Gunbarrel and Niwot communities. Formerly known as Keep Heatherwood Frack-Free, the citizen group formed in rapid response to oil and gas companies’ interest in developing hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, in and near the Heatherwood neighborhood in late 2018. Oil and gas companies approached the homeowners of Heatherwood en masse in November 2018 to inquire about purchasing mineral rights to drilling...