Colorado Public Radio’s Ryan Warner and ProPublica’s Abrahm Lustgarten fact checked a new set of ads sponsored by Coloradans for Responsible Energy Developments. The results of their analysis dealt a blow to oil and gas advocates who would like to see the status quo remain unchanged in terms of conservation and regulation.
Warner and Lustgarten found that the various claims in CRED’s ad are, at best, very misleading or, at worst, straight up wrong.
| CRED ad claim | CPR Fact check results |
|---|---|
| Fracking has been tried and true for 60+ years | False. First kind of fracking did occur 60 years ago, but it’s nothing like the fracking they do today. The technology that’s been developed over the last 10 years is unprecedented and entirely different. |
| Fracking is environmentally safe. The EPA has never found an incident of water contamination due to fracking. | False. It’s not accurate at all. It’s a semantic technicality. |
| Before a well is fracked, 7 separate layers of cement and steel added to protect underwater drinking water | Questionable. Never seen a well that has 7 layers. In many wells, it’s one or two layers. Deep down, there may be sections with no layering at all. |
| Fracking fluid is 99.5% water and sad, the rest is chemicals commonly found in the home. | Misleading. It might be accurate, but it’s one of the most misleading statements I hear coming from the oil and gas |
| Center for Western Priorities ad claim | CPR Fact check results |
|---|---|
| Just about every day in Colorado there’s a chemical spill caused by drilling and fracking Once a week, on average, a spill contaminates groundwater. | True. That pretty much captures what I was just describing. [Spills] are very frequent, a few occurring per month. |
| Fracking has been linked to increased air pollution that is hazardous to the health of residents near wells and may contribute to the larger problem of climate change. | True. It’s mostly true, but not as simple as it sounds. |
We’re happy to report that our ad, released in response to CRED’s, as a way to set the record straight, passed with flying colors.
When CRED launched, we hoped it would be a responsible member of the energy conversation out west. So far, it just seems to push industry talking points, regardless of the facts.