American Oil and Gas Reporter - August 2015 - 122

ConventionSection: Colorado Oil & Gas Association
in the oil and gas industry," he clarifies.
"We were able to get a good idea of
what issues they were facing and the
concerns they had."
For instance, Haley says that rather
than being worried about banning oil and
gas or hydraulic fracturing, a fair portion
of citizens' concerns have been about increased truck traffic and noise in their
small, mostly rural communities.
"The media like to focus on hydraulic
fracturing and environmental concerns
because that is the political conflict, but
I would say most people have been vocal
about 'nuisance issues,'" he details. "They
want to know where the truck traffic is
going to occur, how long it will last, and
what we can do to reduce the number of
trucks. They want to know how long
they are going to hear particular noises,
whether we can build sound walls, and
so forth. By hearing them out, we can
bring citizens and companies together to
mitigate those issues."
Haley also comments that, whenever
possible, COGA wants to get ahead of
any drilling activity in a new area by

sending representatives ahead of time to
discuss with people what to expect.
"We will go wherever there are reasonable people who want to have a reasonable discussion about oil and gas," he
declares. "I want us to be able to tell
communities ahead of time, 'This is what
it is going to look like; this is what it is
going to sound like; this is what it is
going to smell like. Here is what you
will deal with the first week, and here is
what it will look like in three months.'
"The association has to give those
communities proper information, because
information is power," he continues. "It
is important for people to know what is
happening in their communities. If we
don't give them the proper information, I
know others will give them misinformation
to scare them. We need to avoid that."
More Stops
Haley says the COGA staff has a few
more stops to make, and the tour likely
will continue to the end of summer. However, the communication between association and stakeholders that the tour started

will continue year-round, he clarifies.
In July, Haley said he and his staff
were still planning their final stops, but
that they had visited the West Slope area,
including Grand Junction and Glenwood
Springs, Co. He also said he hoped to
visit Durango, Co., soon. COGA also
confirms it is planning to make various
stops around the Denver area, as scheduling permits, including visiting Jefferson
County, which consists of western and
southwestern Denver suburbs.
"With my background as a journalist,
one of the things I like to do is tell
stories," Haley comments. "The industry
in Colorado has a good story to tell, but
it goes beyond our state. The great things
that are happening with our member companies are positively impacting our country
and our standing across the globe."
Haley also says he wants to emphasize
the industry's economic impact on Colorado and the "good-paying jobs" it provides. He also wants to clear up misunderstandings that citizens seem to have
about health impacts and the environmental
regulations the industry faces, so that
people realize how many and how strong
Colorado regulations are that protect the
state's air and water.
"I want people to know that our air is
getting better and increased natural gas
use is reducing our carbon footprint," Haley
insists. "We also need to emphasize that
the Environmental Protection Agency hasn't
found any widespread impact on groundwater from fracturing. We cannot be afraid
to talk about those issues with people, so
they understand this isn't some kind of
public relations spin, but rather, facts to
help them better understand oil and gas."
And while COGA continues to maintain
good relationships with heavy-production
areas, Haley says it also needs to foster
relationships with communities with little
or no production. He gives Jefferson
County as an example of an area that
"does not see oil and gas, and therefore
doesn't talk about it . . . but still needs to
understand what it means to Colorado,
the nation at large, and the future of both."
"Oil and gas is part of our shared
Coloradoan heritage," he adds. "We know
it will be around long term."
Production Trends
Harrison details that, over the past
few years, Colorado has seen remarkable
growth in its oil production, and this year
has been no exception. Before 2010, Colorado averaged about 100,000 barrels of
oil a day. However, he says Colorado

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