CHC updates members at annual meeting

by Karyn Ames
LA VETA — Forty-three Citizens for Huerfano County (CHC) attended their member meeting on November 17 at the La Veta Community Center. The CHC Board of Directors updated members about oil and gas leasing and permits in the county, anti-fracking developments at the state and national levels, and CHC projects and finances.
CHC Secretary, Judy Fisher, summarized CHC’s 2012 accomplishments, which included helping to bring baseline well water testing and adjudication to more than 30 Huerfano County well owners, and filing substantial and detailed commentary on the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) Huerfano County drilling applications, including Shell’s four Gardner wells. The COGCC has added several strong Conditions of Approval on the Gardner wells that they did not include on the Klikus well permit, including protections for ground water and air quality.
The sponsorship of the Huerfano Community Corporation enabled CHC to receive tax-free donations while over 575 CHC members have raised more than $70,000 through individual donations, fundraisers, and grants since CHC’s founding in July 2011. An additional generous donation of $15,000 was raised from Bonnie Raitt’s benefit Red Rocks concert in August. CHC has also donated $3,000 to other anti-fracking efforts across Colorado. In October, CHC received its Federal 501c3 (tax-exempt) status.
As a follow-on to strategic and interactive sessions conducted at the member meeting, CHC will create its 2013 strategic plan under the professional guidance of Matthew Heim, Ph.D.
Go to www.huerfaNOfrack.com to join CHC’s mission of protecting the health, safety, and environment of Huerfano County from the effects of oil and gas development.