Population Size, Growth, and Environmental Justice Near Oil and Gas Wells in Colorado.
We evaluated population size and factors influencing environmental justice near oil and gas (O&G) wells. We mapped nearest O&G well to residential properties to evaluate population size, temporal relationships between housing and O&G development, and 2012 housing market value distributions in three major Colorado O&G basins. We reviewed land use, building, real estate, and state O&G regulations to evaluate distributive and participatory justice. We found that by 2012 at least 378,000 Coloradans lived within 1 mile of an active O&G well, and this population was growing at a faster rate than the overall population. In the Denver Julesburg and San Juan basins, which experienced substantial O&G development prior to 2000, we observed a larger proportion of lower value homes within 500 feet of an O&G well and that most O&G wells predated houses. In the Piceance Basin, which had not experienced substantial prior O&G development, we observed a larger proportion of high value homes within 500 feet of an O&G well and that most houses predated O&G wells. We observed economic, rural, participatory, and/or distributive injustices that could contribute to health risk vulnerabilities in populations near O&G wells. We encourage policy makers to consider measures to reduce these injustices.
Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Colorado School of Public Health , 13001 East 17th Place, Campus Box B119, Aurora, Colorado 80045, United States.
Lisa M
LM
McKenzie
Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Colorado School of Public Health , 13001 East 17th Place, Campus Box B119, Aurora, Colorado 80045, United States.
William B
WB
Allshouse
Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, University of Colorado , Boulder, Colorado 80305, United States.
Troy
T
Burke
Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Colorado School of Public Health , 13001 East 17th Place, Campus Box B119, Aurora, Colorado 80045, United States.
Benjamin D
BD
Blair
Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Colorado School of Public Health , 13001 East 17th Place, Campus Box B119, Aurora, Colorado 80045, United States.
John L
JL
Adgate
D003120:Colorado; D006801:Humans; D061329:Oil and Gas Fields; D011156:Population Density; D012935:Social Justice; D060986:Water Wells