Oil and Gas Industry Has Itself to Blame

The oil and gas industry in Colorado should have known this day would come.

After years of destroying people's land, contaminating our water, and polluting our air, the oil and gas industry's chicken is coming home to roost in the form of several reform bills. The bills, which seek to hold the oil and gas industry accountable to clean air, clean water, landowners, and wildlife are sailing through the Colorado legislature on the winds of citizen and community support.

In a frenzy, the oil and gas industry is now complaining to Governor Ritter that the reforms are "piecemeal" and threaten to "slow" development. In a classic attempt at stonewalling, industry now wants to delay reform.

Just like their air pollution, industry's attempt to gain sympathy makes us a bit nauseous.

The reform bills promise to help establish a better balance between development, our health, and our rights. By any measure, the reform bills simply encourage industry to do it right. The bills are a sensible response to years of industry doing it wrong.

As far as slowing down development goes, this really misses the point. According to the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, just between 2003 and 2006, drilling increased by:

• 132% in Garfield County
• 237% in Yuma County
• 134% in Rio Blanco County
• 390% in Mesa County
• 130% in La Plata County

Just like speed limits, the goal is to set a safe speed, which leads us to the question: Is oil and gas development proceeding at a safe speed in Colorado? We don't think so.

The reform bills may be a bitter pill to swallow for industry, but for the rest of Colorado they're a welcome relief. If the oil and gas industry doesn't like it, they have only themselves to blame.