madamesilverspurs
madamesilverspurs's JournalGreeley City Council reverses planning commission's oil and gas denial verdict
A few days ago I shared our local newspaper's editorial about the oil/gas industry in our area.
Our local planning commission unanimously denied a permit for a pad with 22 new fracking wells. Last night, the Greeley city council overturned that decision.
Our local government access channel covered the meeting, where the room was packed with a couple hundred citizens voicing concerns (the majority) or support (very small minority). As per usual, our mayor was gushingly sweet to the extractors and their supporters; conversely, he was barely tolerant of those speaking against the drilling, in a couple of instances shouting at citizen-speakers to "stop talking!"
Anyway, here's what the Denver Post reported on it. Please note the extractor's comment about traffic concerns, in which he equates the impact of normal passenger vehicle traffic to hundreds of daily trips by commercial tractor-trailer rigs...
Greeley City Council reverses planning commission's oil and gas denial verdict
The City Council early Wednesday overturned a decision made earlier this year by Greeley's planning commission to deny an oil and gas operator a permit to drill 22 wells near neighborhoods on the west side of town.
The 5-2 vote by the council, which came after six hours of testimony and impassioned public comment at a special meeting that began Tuesday evening, maintained Greeley's consistent record of giving the green light to oil and gas extraction proposals that come before the city.
"We have to protect the private property rights of many citizens of Greeley who have mineral rights and have the right to access them," Mayor Tom Norton said. ...(more at link)
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_29613923/greeley-wrestles-first-denial-oil-and-gas-permit
For those interested, I'll post the article from the Greeley newspaper in the comments section.
Hitch hiking?
If you’re hitch hiking and I give you a lift, please observe some simple courtesies. For example, don’t demand that I let you drive. And don’t get all huffy if I don’t turn over the keys and title. Chances are that I won’t take it well when you criticize my vehicle and how I paid for it. Nor will I be amused when you denigrate longtime friends who’ve ridden in the passenger seat for years, especially given that they’ve earned the trust that puts them behind the wheel now and then. And if you try to cover my bumper stickers with ones that you pull out of your pocket — walking is healthy, go for it.
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Greeley Tribune Editorial: Oil and Gas Ballot Measures Would Kill Our County and State's Economy
Tribune Editorial Board opinion: Oil and gas ballot measures would kill our county and state's economyBallot initiatives proposed for the upcoming election could have a crippling effect on the oil and gas business in Weld County and the state of Colorado.
We’ve said it before and we’ll keep saying it: The ballot box is not the right place for oil and gas laws, restrictions and regulations to be decided.
Allowing lawmakers to make the laws makes much more sense than adding amendments to the constitution regarding oil and gas regulations.
Coloradans Resisting Extreme Energy Development, or CREED, disagree. The group started out by submitting 20 proposed measures. Now they have narrowed it down to three.
Opponents claim any of the three, if passed, would essentially kill the oil and gas business — and a big chunk of the state’s economy — and we happen to agree.
The three proposed ballot initiatives are:
» No. 63, if approved, would give residents the right to a “healthy environment.” It would allow residents to file lawsuits against oil and gas companies for failing to maintain a healthy environment.
» No. 75 would give local governments authority over state government with regard to oil and gas development within their borders.
» No. 78 asks for a mandatory setback of at least 2,500 feet for new oil and gas development.
We were presented with some information recently from representatives the Colorado Oil and Gas Association. They showed some numbers regarding how bad the economy would be hit if, for instance, a 2,000-foot setback were to become reality.
The reality is startling.
In the first five years, COGA says Colorado would lose 33,469 jobs. Within 15 years, that number would jump to 62,458 lost jobs. When it comes to personal income, that would cost Coloradans $105 billion in the next 15 years.
Tax revenue would be another spot that would get hit, with an estimated $428 million lost annually. With Colorado already in a budget crunch these days, that could be crippling for schools, roads and other areas.
And the big one: during that 15 years the Colorado GDP would shrink by $11 billion per year for a grand total of $165 billion.
All those numbers are for a 2,000-foot setback. They get worse with the proposed 2,500-foot rule.
We appreciate the oil and gas industry isn’t perfect. But with the safety measures that have been implemented — even in just the last five years — to help capture escaping gases and to help mitigate noise and pollution, we feel these measures go way too far.
With the recent recommendations from the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission coming online, COGA officials said Colorado’s oversight of oil and gas operations are some of the strictest in the nation.
Crippling the business now by adding actual constitutional amendments is bad for Weld County and bad for Colorado.
— The Tribune Editorial Board
http://www.greeleytribune.com/news/opinion/20944836-113/tribune-opinion-oil-and-gas-ballot-measures-would
Those of us who live here, in a city where no resident lives free of the environmental hazards presented by fracking, hazards enhanced by hundreds of wells permitted within city limits -- we have come to regard our local "newspaper" as nothing more than the PR organ of the oil and gas industry. The editors have finally come out and admitted that we are right in that assessment.
Editorial: Oil and Gas Ballot Measures Would Kill Our County and State's Economy
Tribune Editorial Board opinion: Oil and gas ballot measures would kill our county and state's economyBallot initiatives proposed for the upcoming election could have a crippling effect on the oil and gas business in Weld County and the state of Colorado.
We’ve said it before and we’ll keep saying it: The ballot box is not the right place for oil and gas laws, restrictions and regulations to be decided.
Allowing lawmakers to make the laws makes much more sense than adding amendments to the constitution regarding oil and gas regulations.
Coloradans Resisting Extreme Energy Development, or CREED, disagree. The group started out by submitting 20 proposed measures. Now they have narrowed it down to three.
Opponents claim any of the three, if passed, would essentially kill the oil and gas business — and a big chunk of the state’s economy — and we happen to agree.
The three proposed ballot initiatives are:
» No. 63, if approved, would give residents the right to a “healthy environment.” It would allow residents to file lawsuits against oil and gas companies for failing to maintain a healthy environment.
» No. 75 would give local governments authority over state government with regard to oil and gas development within their borders.
» No. 78 asks for a mandatory setback of at least 2,500 feet for new oil and gas development.
We were presented with some information recently from representatives the Colorado Oil and Gas Association. They showed some numbers regarding how bad the economy would be hit if, for instance, a 2,000-foot setback were to become reality.
The reality is startling.
In the first five years, COGA says Colorado would lose 33,469 jobs. Within 15 years, that number would jump to 62,458 lost jobs. When it comes to personal income, that would cost Coloradans $105 billion in the next 15 years.
Tax revenue would be another spot that would get hit, with an estimated $428 million lost annually. With Colorado already in a budget crunch these days, that could be crippling for schools, roads and other areas.
And the big one: during that 15 years the Colorado GDP would shrink by $11 billion per year for a grand total of $165 billion.
All those numbers are for a 2,000-foot setback. They get worse with the proposed 2,500-foot rule.
We appreciate the oil and gas industry isn’t perfect. But with the safety measures that have been implemented — even in just the last five years — to help capture escaping gases and to help mitigate noise and pollution, we feel these measures go way too far.
With the recent recommendations from the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission coming online, COGA officials said Colorado’s oversight of oil and gas operations are some of the strictest in the nation.
Crippling the business now by adding actual constitutional amendments is bad for Weld County and bad for Colorado.
— The Tribune Editorial Board
http://www.greeleytribune.com/news/opinion/20944836-113/tribune-opinion-oil-and-gas-ballot-measures-would
Those of us who live here, in a city where no resident lives free of the environmental hazards presented by fracking, hazards enhanced by hundreds of wells permitted within city limits -- we have come to regard our local "newspaper" as nothing more than the PR organ of the oil and gas industry. The editors have finally come out and admitted that we are right in that assessment.
Weird
A dozen of us Democrats had lunch together yesterday. We chatted about stuff in the news, shook our heads at the “debates” on the other side, discussed how we could improve our caucus process, made plans to attend our upcoming county and state conventions. Half of us are Bernie supporters, half of us are Hillary supporters. We had a most pleasant afternoon.
Weird, huh?
Dear Senator,
Just sent this to my "senator":
Here's a blank if you'd like to send the message to your own or any other recalcitrant senator:
"Liberal media" strikes again.
C-Span, Fox, CNN, and MSNBC are all showing Trump speech, giving him even more FREE air time.
Meanwhile, C-Span2 is showing a Senate quorum call (aka nobody is doing/saying anything).
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