Here's an update on HB 07-1341 [pdf], Concerning the Colorado Oil and Gas Commission, and, In Connection Therewith, Directing the Commission to Foster Oil and Gas Development Consistent with the Protection of the Environment, Wildlife Resources, and Public Health, Safety, and Welfare, from the Colorado Springs Gazette.
From the article, "A bill that would overhaul the Colorado Oil and Gas Commission and allow the governor to mold it into a more environmentally conscious board advanced Thursday in the Colorado House...
"The bill would reduce the commission's latitude in approving projects that damage the land, water and air. Democratic proponents said the bill is essential to slow the impacts of oil and gas extraction on large swaths of the Western Slope and eastern plains. 'People whose property is affected by mineral rights want action, and they want it now,' Rep. Liane 'Buffie' Mc-Fadyen, D-Pueblo West, said. Republicans, led by Rep. Cory Gardner, R-Yuma, argued that Colorado will raise the costs of energy production and ultimately harm consumers if the commission decides that some oil and gas must be left in the ground to protect the environment. Gardner also said that kind of regulation would be a violation of drillers' property rights. 'This is a drastic and dramatic change in over 100 years of Colorado mineral law,' Gardner said. 'This bill changes the fundamental nature of the property right they acquired.' Rep. Mike Merrifield, D-Colorado Springs, said the bill will clarify that the commission is to speak for the public and not the industry. 'Up to this point they've been a lobbyist for oil and gas,' Merrifield said."
More Coyote Gulch coverage here.
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