Two recent oil-related spills on Southern Ute Indian Tribe lands tell a familiar story – and a warning we cannot afford to ignore.
On March 23 and 24, a tanker truck overturned on Texaco Hill near Mancos (Herald, March 27), spilling an estimated 80 to 120 barrels of oil-based drilling fluid – 3,300 to 5,000 gallons, about a quarter to half a typical backyard pool. Initial assessments suggest limited environmental damage. But “limited” is not the same as “none.”
In December 2024, a pipeline leak south of Durango released 97,000 gallons of gasoline – — the largest spill recorded in Colorado at the time since tracking began in 2016, enough to fill more than one and a half Olympic-sized swimming pools. It is dwarfed, however, by an April 2025 well blowout in Weld County, where a Chevron subsidiary released more than 1 million gallons of oil, gas and contaminated fluids over several days — the largest spill in the state in at least a decade. Cleanup continues locally, alongside federal findings that hazardous waste was mishandled and concerns raised by the Southern Ute Indian Tribe.
The damage is not just measured in gallons. Residents were displaced. Long-held homes were bought out. Soil and water will require years of monitoring.
The larger gasoline spill south of Durango involved tribal oversight and risks to shared water systems, including the Animas River. These incidents are not isolated. Air, water and economic impacts do not stop at jurisdictional boundaries. The 2015 Gold King Mine spill — which released about 3 million gallons of metal-laden mine drainage — made that clear.
That is the local reality as federal policy moves in the opposite direction, even as states and utilities transition toward cleaner energy. Less reliance on fossil fuels means fewer spills, lower climate risk and healthier communities.
Today, April 3, marks the end of Colorado Climate Week. At the same time, the Trump administration is doubling down on its “energy dominance” strategy – expanding drilling, rolling back environmental protections and limiting public input on public lands decisions.
This week, the administration exempted oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico from the Endangered Species Act, citing national security concerns tied to the war in Iran. The rationale is geopolitical: instability, hostile regimes, threats to global oil supply.
But the logic is circular. Conflict tied in part to oil dependence is used to justify expanding that dependence.
The U.S. has seen this before. The Iraq War was framed around security, but oil infrastructure and supply were central to the region’s strategic importance. Oil is not the only factor, but it remains a major one shaping policy at home.
More than 50 years ago, landmark environmental laws – the National Environmental Policy Act, Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act and Endangered Species Act, and the creation of the EPA – passed with bipartisan support under Republican President Richard Nixon. Congress overrode his veto to pass the Clean Water Act. The message was clear: public health and environmental protection are imperative.
That baseline is eroding.
Public lands protections are being rolled back. Comment periods are shortened and outcomes appear predetermined, threatening Colorado’s $62 billion outdoor recreation economy – which supports more than 500,000 jobs, depends on healthy lands and waters, and far outpaces oil and gas.
Mining interests are exploring La Plata Canyon, and the USGS is studying mineral recovery in the San Juan Mountains.
At the same time, a different approach is taking hold in Durango.
In November, Durango City Council recognized the Animas River as having inherent rights – including the right to flow and maintain its natural systems – led by Fort Lewis College students and grounded in Indigenous perspectives. It reflects a growing movement that rethinks the long-standing Western approach to water as use and ownership.
Many in this community already live with that ethos. It is a key reason people choose to live here.
Aldo Leopold put it plainly in 1949: “We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us.” That idea still defines much of today’s energy policy.
Meanwhile, La Plata Electric Association is moving toward energy independence (Herald, April 3) as markets continue shifting to renewables and electric vehicles, reducing gasoline use and spill risks. In contrast, the federal government is spending about $1 billion to halt an offshore wind project while eliminating EV tax credits and rolling back other clean energy incentives.
From Southern Ute lands to the Middle East, the through-line is the same: control of energy – who benefits and who bears the costs.
Right now, that burden is not shared equally.
And until that changes, “limited” damage will keep adding up.
Editor’s note: This editorial has been updated to clarify that while the 97,000-gallon gasoline spill south of Durango was the largest recorded at the time since 2016, a larger spill occurred in April 2025 in Weld County, where a well blowout released more than 1 million gallons of oil, gas and contaminated fluids.
