On Saturday, around 100 Loveland residents protested the proposed oil-and-gas development that McWhinney announced in January.
Residents rallied together in the shadows the Love Locks statue on U.S.34 to protest proposed oil-and-gas development in the area.
“Oil and gas harvesting is an industrial (practice),” said Loveland resident and retired family physician Jim Danforth, who spoke at length about his concerns for potential health impacts. “To put it in among homes and schools is a bad idea.”
Troy McWhinney, chief investment officer and cofounder of McWhinney Real Estate Services Inc., announced that the company plans to build two well pads within the Centerra area. One will be west of Interstate 25 and south-of U.S. 34, approximately a half-mile south of Target, and one east of I-25 on County Road 3.
He said that the easternmost pad would have 15 horizontal water wells reaching west towards the interstate and the westernmost pad would have 11 wells reaching north toward the Northern Colorado Regional Airport.
Saturday’s protest was organized by Colorado Rising, a statewide nonprofit that works to “protect Colorados health, safety, wildlife, environment and the future of our climate from the impacts of oil and gas development,” according to the organization’s website.
Caitlin Brown from Colorado Rising was the outreach coordinator. She stated that the protest was meant to allow residents of Centerra to voice their opposition to the proposed oil-and-gas plan.
“Centerra’s DNA is supposed to be based in nature and fracking doesn’t align with that,” she said.
“Our mission is to protect our communities in Colorado from the health, safety and environmental risks that the oil and gas industry are proposing and operating,” said Rafael Espinoza, communications and marketing director with Colorado Rising.
Loveland residents were invited to speak up about the plan throughout the morning and afternoon.
Many people felt that the development raised serious concerns about the natural environment and the health and well-being of those around it.
Rhonda Bricco, a Boyd Lake resident, expressed concern about the potential impact of oil and gas exploration on the environment, including the lake. She called the plan “a huge environmental issue.”
“They need to leave Loveland alone and go frack somewhere else,” she said.
Mary George and Ian McCafferty, first-time home-owners, are concerned about the impact the plan could have on the health and well-being of those around them.
George, who is currently in a masters program at Johns Hopkins University for environmental engineering, said that “from a resident point of view and as a student I know the environmental impacts of fracking.”
Many residents spoke out against McWhinney’s plan.
“At what point is enough enough?” said Loveland Mayor Jacki Marsh at the beginning of the event. “When have you made enough money off of this land?”
Loveland resident Ramon Wallace said, despite what McWhinney has said in the past, he “gets the feeling they’re not part of my community.”
“They have no regard for this community,” he said. “They want to extract the money out of it and move on.”
Brown said she hopes the protest will call attention to McWhinney’s “betrayal” of the Centerra community, adding she hopes it says that Centerra wants to remain a community without “toxic drilling.”
“(McWhinney) shouldn’t frack his neighbors,” she said.
McWhinney stated previously that he takes great pride building communities where the natural environment and built environment can co-exist. This sentiment was shared by McWhinney during the January meeting.
Following Saturday’s protest, Troy McWhinney wrote in an email to the Reporter-Herald we have been working on our plans for responsible energy development for over ten years and we look forward to working with the city of Loveland and the state of Colorado to meet their strict standards.”
McWhinney indicated that the company is only in the planning stage for this project at the January meeting. He stated that they expect to complete the submission, approval, and permitting process in 2022. If approved, drilling will begin in 2023. He estimated that the process could take six months to a year.
He stated that the wells would be active for between 20 and 25 years.
