Random Linkies 7/17/08

Imagine the chances: energy companies contaminated water in wells by Parachute, CO and made someone sick. At the same time, the companies are heavily lobbying the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission to not adopt rules that would include environmental controls. Now, why would they fight against those kinds of rules, I wonder…

The EPA released a Global Warming and Health report. I’ll give you one guess who stymied its release. That’s correct: the Bush “administration”, which has worked hard to deny and delay such information from being relayed properly to Americans.

“Risk (to human health, society and the environment) increases with increases in both the rate and magnitude of climate change,” scientists at the Environmental Protection Agency said. Global warming, they wrote, is “unequivocal” and humans are to blame.

Betsy Markey and Marilyn Musgrave debated recently. Betsy isn’t letting Marilyn get away with any b.s. charges. It’s probably part of the reason why Betsy is doing a better job of fundraising than Marilyn. That and Marilyn is a hate-monger who refuses to accomplish much for her district.

Xcel estimates that about 47,000 of its customers will have their power cut off due to missed payments. Let’s see, the price of energy hasn’t gone down in what, seven years. Our take home pay hasn’t gone up in the same time-frame. And Republicans think folks like this are just a bunch of whiners. Being unable to pay for your electricity is a result of immoral conservative economic policies. Which is why they’re losing elections these days.

Drillers In Colorado Could Pay More Up Front

The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission continues to discuss proposed drilling rule changes. One topic: the amount corporations will have to pay up front to cover potential environmental clean up. Currently, they pay less in Colorado than they do in surrounding states. Does anyone wonder why those corporations are fighting potential rule changes tooth and nail? Of course, if all of their whining were based on fact, they wouldn’t be doing business in other states. You know, because of the harsh business environment and all that.

David Dillon, engineering manager for the commission, noted that rates haven’t been increased in 12 years and, since 1996, the commission has recovered only 50 cents on the dollar to deal with problems at abandoned wells. It’s had to take the remaining money – nearly $500,000 – from a state environmental response fund.

If companies want to drill in Colorado, they should put adequate money up front to ensure conditions are just as good when they’re done extracting resources.