Grand Valley Citizens Alliance is WCC's local community group in Garfield County.

• Background Information
• Other Resources

Our Campaigns

GVCA invites you to get involved with its campaigns by contacting GVCA President Duke Cox at (970) 876-2902. GVCA's issues include:

• Educating the community about ari quality degradation and related health impacts cause by natural gas development in order to build support for mandatory pollution control equipment.
• Creating a Rifle/Silt/New Castle Community Development Plan that stipulates best practices and strategies to minimize negative impacts.
• Continuing to strengthen the coalition that supported legislation in 2005 to increase surface landowner protections, with the goal of reintroducing it in 2006.
• Demanding the placement of wellpads outside of the "no drill zone" around the Rulison nuclear blast site.

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Background Information

Formed in 1997 in response to reduction in well pad spacing from one pad per 320 acres to one pad per 40 acres, GVCA works to protect the quality of life in Garfield County for ALL residents by promoting best industry practices and responsible development.  The group meets the second Tuesday of each month.  

GVCA has won a number of important victories including:

• assisting residents who were impacted by the now infamous West Divide Creek Gas Seep in 2004. The Colorado Oil & Gas Conservation Commission placed a moratorium on drilling around the seep, and the largest fine ever placed on industry in Colorado is being spent on a hydro-geologic study of a large area between Rifle and Silt.
• pressuring the Garfield County Commissioners in 2002 to hire a Local Government Designee to help hold the gas industry accountable and manage development.
• instigating the formation of a roundtable between industry and citizens to share information and resolve disputes. The Garfield County Energy Advisory Board began its work in 2004.
• adding provisions to American Soda's pipeline permit in 1999 to increase environmental protections.
• winning the endorsement of all local municipalities for protection of the top of the Roan Plateau.

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Other Resources

• See Other Resources listed on Gasfield Justice page.
• A map showing lands leased for oil/gas development and existing wells in Garfield County (courtesy of Colorado Environmental Coalition, January 2006).
• The film, A Land Out of Time, directed by Mark Harvey examines the fight for a balance between our country's desire for cheap energy and conserving the Rockies' premiere lands.

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