The truth is a fleeting thing. We’ve written about the impact of SB19-181, regulations and executive orders that are killing the oil and gas industry under Boulder Liberal Governor Jared Polis and his crazy left Democrat legislature.
You would think that a pro-industry group like the Colorado Oil and Gas Association (COGA) at their annual meeting would call Polis out on the carpet, correct? Unfortunately, the answer is no – not really.
Before we get into what Polis said, and the pass he got at COGA, we’re going cover what has happened in Colorado (The links provide more information).
We’ve written about the push from the left on “environmental standards” AKA their Green Religion. For example, we wrote an article on Gov. Jared Polis and Senator Michael Bennet on their big green push.
We’ve also covered the Colorado Air Quality Control Commission and their mandates on electric cars, and how the governor has turned the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission into a bunch of anti-industry greenies. Of course, we wrote about how the Democrats in the legislature and Polis are swiftly killing the oil and gas industry in Colorado. Last but not least, do you remember Polis lying about local control, and how Weld County is a perfect example of this?
We’re pretty angry Polis got an out at COGA here. At least all of the quotes we wanted to use to emphasize this are bunched together in the article:
[1] Polis offered strong support for a provision in SB 181 putting oil and gas development into the hands of local elected governments groups, a position he supported during last year’s gubernatorial campaign.
“It is the problem solvers on the ground close to the community who should be empowered to say how their community develops,” and that applies to far more than just oil and gas, he added.
[2] He also pushed back against claims that SB 181 will lead to additional moratoriums on oil and gas development, stating that moratoriums took place before the measure passed and nothing in SB 181 changed that.
[3] Polis dismissed questions on what the industry would look like once the COGCC has finished its rulemaking process sometime in the next two years. “I’m not qualified to answer” what the price of oil and gas will be in two years. That’s a question for an economist, he said.Colorado Politics, August 28, 2019
[4] Polis also spoke about what Weld County is doing to support the industry, including the creation of a new department. “I expect Weld County will continue to elect commissioners who are favorable to the zoning desires of the industry. Other counties will have a nuanced approach,” he said.
Let’s cover quotes 1 and 4 first. This is total baloney. As we wrote here, Weld County, who wants to have more free-market-oriented rules, got major push back from the State of Colorado. AKA Polis’ people.
Number 2, is also baloney. Many municipalities that want greater controls AKA regulating Oil and Gas out of existence have been doing so already. Like Broomfield adopting a 6-month oil and gas moratorium. Then there’s Longmont that banned Oil and Gas back in 2012, but a judge issued an injunction from it being enforced – now they can legally do that! Of course, there is also Adams County who just slammed the door on Oil and Gas. Need we cite more examples?
Then there’s number 3. Polis says he’s not qualified to answer the economic impact question. Well, he’s probably not qualified to be governor, but he’s doing that! We wrote (HERE) and (HERE) about how the COGCC is already going after the industry, and Polis’ Executive Order. We also reported that issued permits for drilling are down as well. The oil and gas industry is taking a major hit.
It’s like Polis will just say what he wants, even though the facts don’t back it up. It’s like he’s a politician or something [Sarcasm]…
Polis is just full of it after he bought the Governor’s Mansion with his record millions in campaign spending. Now we’re all paying the price.
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Just because we’re conservative does not mean we’re cool with life threatening pollution from fracking operations outside our back gates. Just because we’re conservative does not mean that genetic modification of foods and rampant over use of pesticides is acceptable practice. Just because we’re conservative does not mean that we do not support alternative energy. We vote conservative but also voted pro to restrict fracking, and we love bees and nature. Next up is 5g in residential neighborhoods and cities are powerless and clueless how to slow this down. Industry belongs in one place, residential safe living environments belong in another. The rules everyone is arguing about come from a time before the existing technology was in place. All safety studies are outmoded in this regard. These topics touch on the heart of private property and liberty of land rights. I’m not willing to give up and alter fundamental principals of private property rights just to keep any given industry at maximum potential. My land, my choice. It’s just dirty business, all the new construction entities building from Brighton to Denver along the Jewells Well basin, purchasing land with rights, separating the rights, racing to complete new construction, all the while knowing that fracking is going to move in shortly after residential construction is over, within the first year or two of people moving in. People are upset and there should be much broader setbacks. If not for land grabs after the depression, far fewer Weld county land holders would have had rights separated and this argument would be shaping up differently. The game of bankers 70 and 80 years ago was to repo farmers land in these areas, separate rights, then sell the land back at liquidation prices. Bankers win again and this issue is much more complicated than just ‘the oil and gas industry in 2019’.