Greeley parent raises concerns about emissions leak from oil and gas site near her son’s school

GREELEY, Colo. — At the Bella Romero Academy 4-8 in Greeley, students study and play less than 2,000 feet from oil and gas operations. On March 21, at one of the nearby sites operated by Civitas, a “small emission” was released by a “faulty part,” according to an email sent by Colorado’s Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) to a concerned parent.

Patricia Garcia-Nelson’s son attends Bella Romero and her concerns about oil and gas drilling nearby prompted her to become an environmental activist. She keeps an eye on the oil and gas sites when she drops her son off at school.

The morning of March 22, Garcia-Nelson saw more people than usual at the vetting site, just south of the school.

“I went to the entrance of the site where they have the numbers posted, and I started calling,” Garcia-Nelson said. “That’s when one of their field specialists came out and talked to me. And they said that they were the ones that found the leak.”

Civitas was inspecting the site on March 21 using a special infrared camera when “they noticed emissions coming off of one of the battery tanks,” Garcia-Nelson said.

Garcia-Nelson contacted Civitas, the school district and several state agencies looking for more information about the leak.

“As a community member and as a parent, I don’t get any information about what’s going on with the site unless I ask and I find out what’s going on myself,” she said.

In a response to Garcia-Nelson, CDPHE confirmed that “a small emission was detected” during a routine inspection. A pressure relief valve on an oil tank was faulty and needed to be replaced. “This was promptly addressed” the following day, CDPHE said.

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