By Addisson Pribble 

Emily Baer watches her son’s soccer games a lot. In 2018, her son became sick, and doctors struggled for over a year to pin down the cause. Eventually, they discovered it was related to oil and gas exposure. Now as a member of the Erie Town Council, Baer works to help people while also grappling with the challenges of being a politician and a mother. 

Baer, mom of four, spent hours volunteering in her kids’ classrooms and in the community as they grew up, being blissfully unaware of local politics. But after learning that the cause of her son’s illness was neighborhood oil and gas exposure, she dove headfirst into learning about how local regulations could be changed.   

“I just thought, ‘Oh, if the people who are making policies knew this was happening, they probably would want to change them,’” Baer said. “It was very naive to think that no one knew this was happening.” 

The town of Erie is split between Boulder and Weld Counties, but a majority of the population, including Baer’s district, resides within Weld. Eight out of every 10 barrels of oil that Colorado produced in 2024 came from Weld County. While Erie has proved lucrative for this industry, its residents have paid the consequences of loose regulations.  

Baer told her story to different local and state political committees. Her work culminated in the passing of Senate Bill 19-181,which amended oil and gas regulations. This bill and other revisions made to the Unified Development Code now require oil and gas plants to be 2,000 feet away from homes, parks and sports fields. Before 2021, the setback distance was only 350 feet. 

Drilling is still occurring in Erie. A new drilling project, Draco, is beginning through Civitas Resources. This will be the biggest project since the updated regulations took effect in 2021.  

“For our Draco site, we worked closely with the housing development there to find areas of compromise and timing to best align our activities,” said Rich Coolidge, the senior advisor of government and regulatory affairs for the company. 

While advocating for change, Baer met long time politician Pat Waak, who has 40 years of political experience and was the chair of the Colorado Democratic Party from 2005 to 2011. Waak recognized the qualities of a great politician in Baer and encouraged Baer to run for the Erie Board of Trustees in 2022. 

“She says I outed her,” Waak chuckled. “It isn’t quite what I would have called it but, I did.” 

Baer was knowledgeable in oil and gas policies, but she soon found out that this was only one part of the job. She struggled during her first year to learn everything it took to be a council member.  

“It was like drinking from a fire hose,” Baer said. 

While Baer was unfamiliar with city politics, she was no stranger to community activism. Baer was a part of the Front Range Center for Assault Prevention for 18 years and served as its chair for eight years. In this role, she advised communities across the Front Range on how to stay safe against sexual assault, bullying and stranger abduction.  

Baer said that experience helped train her for the town council because it taught her how to take something scary and turn it into something empowering. 

“I believe our life prepares us for the things that we encounter,” Baer said. 

As the only female council member, Baer has had to make unique sacrifices. When elected, she found herself stepping into a role she felt was designed for men. Baer said women politicians do a lot of invisible work like the stuff moms are assumed to do, such as stay home with sick kids, attend every soccer game and more.

Baer says she and her family feel the toll. She found that leadership roles systemically do not afford the extra time for family responsibilities and that women in leadership positions need unique support.  

“It costs more of our time, our attention, our energy and effort,” Baer said. 

Waak is also no stranger to the difficulties of being a female politician. To support a positive female force, Waak meets once a month with a support group to help her be as prepared as possible. 

“She has that passion in her heart and that generosity and compassion that frames her politics,” Waak said. “She’s perfect, just perfect.” 

Today, Baer’s son is back to playing his favorite sport, soccer. Watching him play, she is able to witness the changes she worked so diligently to inspire and also the changes she made within herself. Being a part of the town council is something she never would have envisioned for herself because it requires something she used to be so uncomfortable with, proudly speaking her opinions. Baer shared the advice she would give to her teenage self.  

“I would tell her to hang in there and just to hold on,” she said. “She is going to find herself. She is going to use the strength that she’s building right now to speak up for quiet girls in the future. That she’s going to find her voice. Just hold on. Keep going.” 

Edited by Piper George