Colorado Passes New Oil, Gas Rules – Part I

The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission passed a series of rules Tuesday (and I nearly missed the news) that addresses the impact that oil and gas drilling has on Colorado.  The rules were established in response to a 2007 law passed by the Colorado Democratic-led legislature requiring oil and gas development to be balanced against protection of public health, the environment and wildlife.

The Grand Junction Sentinel article I link to above is kind of light on details beyond that general statement – big surprise, I know.  A lot of the article is spent on a single issue that didn’t garner unanimous approval.  One substantial item that the article does bring up is the following:

Commissioners are scheduled to continue their final deliberations through Thursday. Two key areas still awaiting final action involve wildlife protections and stricter drilling pit requirements.

I know there has been some real debate surrounding those wildlife protections.  One recommendation included limited oil and gas well drilling during small portions of wildlife cycles.  Those restrictions could have easily been exempted if operators could demonstrate a small impact on wildlife.  As with almost any issue, the oil and gas industry screamed to everybody listening that it would mean the downfall of their industry in the state.  In fact, they were threatening to pull up stakes and move to more “business-friendly” states.  The Commission responded as most regulators do by backing off the recommendation, despite proof of current and real impacts on wildlife.  It’s another reason I want to see the oil and gas industry’s influence lessen and end one day.  Getting everything they want is the only form of compromise they understand.  Fine, when they’re irrelevant, it won’t matter what they want.

Since the corporate media article is light on details, I’m going to have to do some research to find what rules were passed and give my take on what I think they mean.  Of course, a couple of decisions haven’t been made yet, so maybe the Sentinel will write a more detailed article when everything is settled.  In any event, I’ll return to this subject as soon as I have those details.

Random Hits 6/29/08

Continued politics over the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission‘s proposed rule changes: foes are striking as extreme a position as possible so the new rules won’t go into effect. More than that, they’re working very hard to make sure the same kind of rules don’t get implemented elsewhere, which seems likely to happen. At some point, more citizens are going to stand up for their localities long-term health, including environmental concerns. If these rules pass now, they stand a good chance of spreading. Additional rules might even be in store in the future. The longer oil and gas interests delay, the longer they can operate under older, less restrictive rules.

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Mark Udall maintains his moderate advantage over Bob Schaffer in another poll, this one from Quinnipiac University. Similar to the Rasmussen poll I discussed earlier this week, the Q-poll has Udall 48 – Schaffer 38, a 10-point spread. Oh, the independent numbers are mighty interesting: Udall 54 – Schaffer 27. Bob’s going to have to work much harder this year due to voters’ well documented shift from Republican to “Independent” and from “Independent” to Democrat.

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Here’s Governor Ritter’s planned activity for Tuesday:

Gov. Ritter will take part in a dedication ceremony for a new solar array at the Colorado Rocky Mountain School in Carbondale. The 150-kilowatt system sits on a half-acre of ranchland owned by the high school and is the largest solar electric installation in Western Colorado. It will power the school’s science building, and excess energy will be fed onto the town of Carbondale’s power grid. The voter-approved project is a joint venture that also includes the Aspen Ski Co., Community Office for Resource Efficiency, Town of Carbondale and Xcel Energy.

I’ve read plenty of disparaging comments on newspaper blogs that are trying to push the meme that Gov. Ritter’s New Energy Economy isn’t actually doing anything. This is but one example that demonstrates those comments are based solely on ideology and not on fact.

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The U.S. Drought Monitor has identified the panhandle of Oklahoma as being in “Exceptional Drought”, its most severe category.  Neighboring areas in Colorado, New Mexico, Kansas and Texas are classified as “Extreme Drought”.  Locals who were around for the Dust Bowl in the 1930s say its drier now than it was then.  The record speaks for itself: with less than an inch and a half of rain so far this year, the area is drier than the Sahara Desert.  Under a new climatic regime, severe droughts are just as likely as severe flooding.  Will conditions convince Oklahomans to rid themselves of the virulently anti-science Sen. Tom Coburn when his term is up?