Perceived bias leads industry to organize

By Steve Raabe Denver Post Staff Writer

Colorado oil and gas producers are organizing to influence government policy in reaction to concerns about a perceived anti-energy bias in the state.

Chief among their worries are a reconstituted oil-and-gas commission that reduces energy- industry representation, efforts to delay a plan for drilling on the scenic Roan Plateau in western Colorado, and a movement to stop natural-gas production in Moffat County's Vermillion Basin.

"This vital, growing industry is threatened by overregulation," said Fred Barrett, chief executive of oil-and-gas producer Bill Barrett Corp. "We as an industry need to find better ways to tell the public what the costs of certain public-policy decisions are."

By The Denver Post Editorial Board

Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter has won his fight to spend 120 days reviewing federal plans for development on the energy-rich Roan Plateau. He should use the time to craft a common-sense compromise that will assure the maximum benefits to taxpayers and consumers, while minimizing disruption to the area's wildlife and scenic treasures.

The state's new chief executive won't be starting from scratch. The plan unveiled earlier this year by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management was crafted after more than seven years of study, public hearings and work with state and local officials. Among other restrictions, the BLM plan would limit drilling operations to no more than 1 percent of the plateau's surface land at any given time, as recommended by the state's former natural resources director, Russ George. All land disturbed by such operations would have to be eventually reclaimed and restored.

The report, issued by an arm of the Colorado School of Mines, measured the economic impact of Colorado's natural resources for the first time.

The study suggests oil and gas might be the state's largest industry.

Pueblo Chieftain guest column

By Senate Minority Leader Andy McElhany

5/13/07  

      Bill Ritter, our state's freshman governor, complained at a news conference the other day that the recent Senate debate over his plan to raise Coloradans’ property tax bills had turned into a "partisan fight."

      You bet it did, and we make no apologies for it.

      Republicans didn’t set out to rain on Gov. Ritter’s parade when the 2007 General Assembly began, but he should have expected a fight from us over his attempt to exact $1.7 billion from Colorado’s home and business owners over the next 10 years - without even asking their permission. If the Republican Party doesn’t stand up for the taxpayer, who will?