# Environmental Justice Analysis: Oil & Gas Spills in Colorado (2014-2024)

## Executive Summary Table

| **Metric**                        | **High-Poverty Areas**   | **Low-Poverty Areas** | **Ratio/Difference** | **Environmental Justice Implication**                           |
| --------------------------------- | ------------------------ | --------------------- | -------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **SPILL DETECTION PATTERNS**      |                          |                       |                      |                                                                 |
| Historical spill rate             | 15.6%                    | 39.5%                 | 0.39x                | **EJ Paradox**: Fewer delayed discoveries in marginalized areas |
| Average reporting delay           | 4.8 days                 | 11.2 days             | -6.4 days            | **Faster detection** in high-poverty areas                      |
| **SPILL SEVERITY**                |                          |                       |                      |                                                                 |
| Average spill volume              | **12.19 bbls**           | 6.72 bbls             | **1.81x larger**     | **Marginalized communities face larger spills**                 |
| Recent major spill rate (>5 bbls) | **41.9%**                | 38.2%                 | **1.10x higher**     | **Higher severity** in high-poverty areas                       |
| Historical major spill rate       | 9.6%                     | 9.6%                  | Equal                | Legacy spills equally small                                     |
| **ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINATION**   |                          |                       |                      |                                                                 |
| Soil contamination rate           | 46.5%                    | 48.1%                 | 0.97x                | Similar soil impact rates                                       |
| Groundwater contamination         | **1.9%**                 | 7.1%                  | **0.27x lower**      | **Counterintuitive**: Less groundwater impact in poor areas     |
| Surface water contamination       | 0.9%                     | 0.4%                  | 2.25x                | Slightly higher surface water risk                              |
| **FACILITY EXPOSURE**             |                          |                       |                      |                                                                 |
| Tank batteries                    | **33.6%**                | 31.1%                 | **Higher**           | **More storage facilities** in poor areas                       |
| Wells                             | **17.9%**                | 15.2%                 | **Higher**           | **More extraction sites** near poor communities                 |
| Water gathering systems           | **5.9%**                 | 1.1%                  | **5.4x higher**      | **Much higher waste handling** exposure                         |
| **TEMPORAL TRENDS**               |                          |                       |                      |                                                                 |
| Historical rate 2014-2018         | 30.9% of all spills      |                       |                      |                                                                 |
| Historical rate 2020-2024         | 39.9% of all spills      |                       | **+9% increase**     | **Worsening** delayed discovery trends                          |
| Recent major spills 2021+         | Dramatic decrease to ~0% |                       |                      | **Major operational improvement** post-2021                     |

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## Key Environmental Justice Findings

### **CONFIRMED ENVIRONMENTAL INJUSTICE**

1. **High-poverty communities face 81% larger spills** when they occur
2. **Higher concentration of hazardous facilities** (tanks, wells, waste systems)
3. **Geographic clustering** of environmental burdens

### **COMPLEX EXPOSURE PATTERNS**

1. **Different types of environmental harm**:
   
   - **High-poverty**: Current operational impacts, larger immediate spills
   - **Affluent areas**: Legacy contamination, groundwater impacts from decommissioned facilities

2. **Proximity paradox**:
   
   - Living closer to facilities → faster detection BUT larger exposure when spills occur
   - Historical spills represent legacy contamination discovered during decommissioning

### **TEMPORAL PATTERNS**

1. **2014-2020**: Intensive operations with 60%+ major spill rates
2. **2021-2022**: Dramatic improvement (major spills dropped to ~0%)
3. **Increasing delayed discoveries** suggest more legacy contamination being found

---

## Statistical Significance

- **Volume differences**: p < 0.000001 (highly significant)
- **Reporting delays**: p = 0.007 (significant)
- **Spatial clustering**: 259 clusters identified, Moran's I = 0.053 (p = 0.001)
- **Demographic disparities**: Chi-square p < 0.000001 for multiple metrics

**Sample Size**: 16,890 spill incidents across Colorado (2014-2024)

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## **Key Takeaways:**

### **The Paradox Explained:**

- **High-poverty areas**: Live closer to facilities → faster detection + larger spills
- **Affluent areas**: Legacy contamination from older, decommissioned facilities

### **Clear Environmental Justice Evidence:**

- **81% larger spills** in marginalized communities
- **5.4x higher exposure** to waste handling facilities  
- **Geographic clustering** of environmental burdens

### **Different Types of Environmental Harm:**

- **Acute exposure**: Immediate, larger spills (high-poverty)
- **Chronic exposure**: Groundwater contamination from legacy sites (affluent)

### **Policy Success Story:**

The **dramatic 2021 improvement** shows effective interventions are possible - need to identify and scale what worked.

This analysis moves beyond simple "more pollution = environmental injustice" to show the **complex patterns of environmental harm** across communities. Both acute operational impacts AND legacy contamination represent environmental justice concerns requiring different policy responses.

The data provides **strong evidence** for targeted interventions, cumulative impact assessment, and community-specific environmental protection strategies.
