Colorado Petroleum Council Applauds Defeat of Bill

The Colorado Petroleum Council (CPC) is applauding the Colorado Senate for recently voting down an anti-energy bill it maintains would have slowed, or even potentially halted, energy development in the state. CPC had testified in opposition to H.B. 18-1071. The legislation was rejected by a Senate committee with bipartisan support.

“Democrats and Republicans in the state Senate were right to reject this destructive bill as it would circumvent our judicial system and erode the checks and balances that underpin our state’s democracy,” CPC executive direcdirector Tracee Bentley said. “This bill also would have threatened the fiscal health of our state with substantial financial impacts, which are not reflected in the current fiscal note.

“Our state should not rewrite the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission’s mission at the request of out-of-state, out-of-touch activists, who hope to transform every permitting decision into protracted litigation, costing the state millions to defend administrative and judicial appeals, not to mention millions more in lost tax and royalty revenues due to permitting delays,” she added.

CPC comments that H.B. 18-1071 erroneously stated that a court of appeals decided “that oil and gas development is not balanced with the protection of public health, safety, and welfare.” However, a 2-1 decision reached by the court is based on the premise that the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) misinterpreted its statutory authority when rejecting a rulemaking petition that sought an indefinite moratorium on oil and natural gas activities in the state. The court said its ruling “does not address the merits of whether the commission should adopt the petitioners’ proposed rule.”

The decision is currently being appealed to the Colorado Supreme Court, an appeal that was unanimously approved by COGCC, which is represented by the Colorado attorney general.

“Ultimately, the petitioners in this case hope to persuade the COGCC to ban oil and natural gas development in Colorado, in conflict with state law and policy,” said Bentley. “The state Senate saw through this ruse and rightly voted against this ill-conceived legislation. The state’s natural gas and oil industry embraces working with all stakeholders as we continue to use the highest standards and safety practices possible in providing Colorado and the rest of the country affordable and dependable energy produced here in Colorado.”