State’s Economy — Oil And Gas Drilling
10:31 PM 04/03/2019 | Energy
Michael Bastasch | Energy Editor
Legislation is headed to Colorado Gov. Jared Polis’s desk that would completely overhaul state permitting of oil and gas wells that’s got Republicans and the industry worried.
The bill, which passed out of the state Senate on Wednesday in a party-line vote, changes the make-up and mission of the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, the state’s drilling regulatory body.
Once signed into law, officials will begin crafting a slew of new rules and regulations that critics fear could end up being a de facto ban on drilling in much of the state. Polis, a Democrat, is expected to sign the bill this week.
“While a few critical amendments were added that begin to address some of industry’s concerns and provide a degree of certainty to our member companies, our industry remains firmly opposed to this bill because it threatens one of the pillars of Colorado’s economy,” Colorado Oil and Gas Association President Dan Haley and Colorado Petroleum Council communication director Ben Marter said in a statement.
Republicans see the bill as a radical shift in Colorado’s energy policy that was largely supported by past Colorado governors, including 2020 presidential hopeful John Hickenlooper.
The bill, called SB 181, would give local governments the power to restrict oil gas wells, which previously only state regulators could do, and change the emphasis on permitting to environment and public health considerations. (RELATED: Saudi Aramco’s Oil Profits Present An Uncomfortable Reality For Green New Dealers)
The bill also reduces the number of oil and gas experts on the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission and makes commissioners full-time officials. Environment and public health interests will see their influence on the commission increase.
Democrats, with majorities in the House and Senate, quickly pushed the bill through the legislature over Republican objections. Last-minute amendments did ease some concerns over the bill, but did little to quell opposition.
Environmentalists, on the other hand, cheered the bill’s passage.
The Sierra Club’s Colorado chapter said “health and safety will come first” once the bill is signed into law. State Democratic lawmakers made similar statements of the bill that was pushed through the state legislature in a matter of weeks.
#SB181 is on it's way to @GovofCO's desk! Coloradans finally have a voice when it comes to oil+gas development in our state. Health and safety will come first. Thank you to @SteveFenberg @SenMikeFoote @kcbecker and @YadiraCaraveo for co-sponsoring this bill #coleg #copolitics pic.twitter.com/WAmJq3bzkq
— Colorado Sierra Club (@SierraClubCO) April 3, 2019
SB 181 opponents said it closely resembled 2018’s failed ballot initiative pushed by environmentalists and some Democrats that would have effectively banned hydraulic fracturing in most of Colorado. Voters rejected the measure in November.
Colorado is the fifth-largest oil producing state and sixth-largest in terms of natural gas production, according to U.S. Energy Department data. The state’s energy boom has been fueled by hydraulic fracturing.
Oil and gas contributes $32 billion to Colorado’s economy every year and supports 89,000 jobs, according to industry figures. The industry says it paid $1 billion in state and local taxes in 2017, which support schools, parks and infrastructure.
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The house gas explosion in Firestone 4/17/2017 played a major role in this legislation.
The Denver Post acting as judge, jury and executioner lynched Anadarko over this.
It’s been two years and NTSB has yet to report the results of their investigation. DCA17FP005
NTSB might be a bit gun shy should the report conclude that the two expired plumbers messing with the water heater had one of those Darwinian “Oops!” moments.
The Denver Post would unleash their flock of flying monkeys!!
Who needs that?
Darwinian “Oops!”, I hate to say it if it isn’t true, but I have thought that more than once. They were installing a water heater. If sufficient gas had leaked into that basement through the soil from an unplugged line in sufficient quantity for the explosion, I would have thought there would have been some kind of burn or explosion much prior to this incident. I do have lingering suspicions and the exact root cause cascade has not be thoroughly explained, in my thinking.
The Colorado legislature—mostly leftists now—seems hell bent on committing state economic suicide. Nothing new there. Leftists are great at destruction, justifying it by one con or another. I live in Colorado now, although I was reluctant to return because of the increasing influence of failed citizens from California, who seem to move here from the “golden state”, after voting for people and policies that created the reasons for escaping, only to repeat the very same voting behaviors here while expecting a different outcome.
But it takes time to completely loot a state of all economic value. Let’s hope some sanity returns over time—hope, but don’t expect it.
Part of the strategy than won WW2 was to destroy the heavily defended industry and energy potential of the enemy. Countless airmen lives were lost in the process.
Today an organized world wide coalition takes aim at our energy and industry and achieves it’s destruction in plain sight without even firing a blank shot.
And no one realizes the full extend of this green warfare nor calls the situation by it’s real name despite the inflicted damage: -War.
Those professing to be “green” politicians are really playing to the extremist position in which the adherents hate humans (not themselves, of course, but everyone else). The assaults had their fist success with “Silent Spring”, and they’ve been repeating that model ever since.
I predict this bill will be repealed within a year.
When I read stories like this one, I am always reminded of the old adage ” be careful what you wish for”
Perhaps the energy companies in that part of the USA need to get their act together and start revealing to the Cogs (constantly offended Green Socialists) what the effect of their restrictive policies will be.
Maybe targeting the representatives who voted for less energy, and ensuring they get less energy. A power cut to those anti energy homes for say two hours around 5.00 pm. to 7.00 pm. every now and then. The fuel station operators are given the ID of the vehicles driven by the anti capitalists so the pumps don’t always work when the relevant voting anarchist tries to fuel up.
Simple things like that, which would bring home to the legislators just how important constantly available energy is.
To avoid the authorities accusing the oil companies of vindictiveness, the anti energy representatives should be given their own wind turbines, that way the quid pro quo is satisfied . The only small concession should be the charge rate of the electricity coming from the domestic wind turbine in the front yard of each of the COGS, should only be sold to them at three times standard base rate, which is the current wind turbine cost.
We must be fair and be seen to be fair. 🙂
This is the face of tyranny. We’re considering moving after 110 years in the state.
The conversion of Colorado to “Eastern California” has entered phase 2/
I would not be surprised to see the Democratic super majority in the California legislature pass similar laws.
How does this affect drilling on Federal Lands? A quick look at the map at
would lead me to think about 40% of Colorado is under Federal or Indian control – especially concentrated in the West where the shale is.
I think the time has come for policies that force regions which ban resource development to adopt the liberally popular buy-local philosophy. Let them generate all of their own energy and primary resources with whatever is left after their radical environmental regulations kick in, but don’t allow them to free-ride on the resource development in states/regions wise enough to recognize the benefits provided by those same resources and the stupidity of radical environmental Puritanism. Let them never again set their rumps down in a fossil fuel powered commercial aircraft, drive/walk or cycle on petroleum sourced pavement, use any device made of plastic, or eat a mouthful of food that required fossils fuels or mineral resources for it’s production, unless they can provide those materials within their own jurisdiction, under whatever medieval regulatory regiment they find fashionable.
From the Ocasio School of Economic Development.