Industry’s new leaf?

Posted by & filed under Equal Ground.

Maybe the oil and gas lobby’s latest efforts should strike hope in the hearts of Coloradans. Are they turning over a new leaf and willing to balance energy development with conservation interests? Maybe … maybe not. From Colorado Oil and Gas Association Director Tisha Schuller’s “charm offensive” to Western Energy Alliance President Tim Wigely’s “poll… Read more »

New survey proves Westerners want conservation on equal ground with drilling

Posted by & filed under News, Equal Ground, Virginia.

Today, the Center for American Progress (CAP) announced new public opinion research that illustrates the stark gap between Washington’s public land use priorities – heavily weighted toward pro-development policies – and what Westerners believe is an appropriate balance between oil and gas drilling and protecting treasured landscapes for future generations. This new research clearly shows… Read more »

Updated: Sec. Jewell brings home a trophy from Senate committee hearing

Posted by & filed under Uncategorized.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmvaZwHNinc] One of the oil industry’s best friends in Congress imploded a standard GOP/industry talking point yesterday when, in the face of Sec. Sally Jewell’s facts, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) admitted that oil production is up on public lands. Watch the exchange! # # # Secretary of Interior Sally Jewell showed up at today’s… Read more »

For House Republicans, the season of oil and gas giveaways has begun

Posted by & filed under News, Permitting, Gas Prices.

As reported by Politico’s Andrew Restuccia, Tuesday, House Republicans will spend the summer trying to breathe new life into tired ideas filled with industry giveaways. It’s no wonder given these politicians receive huge contributions from the oil and gas industry. Ironically, these “conservatives” want more mandates and quotas for oil companies while also cutting common… Read more »

The team of oil & gas lobbyists behind Gov. Hickenlooper’s agenda

Posted by & filed under Colorado, Hickenlooper.

It should come as no surprise that in the 2013 legislative session alone, the oil and gas industry spent $1.06 million defending Gov. Hickenlooper’s pro-Big Oil agenda. As a Chesapeake lobbyist wrote in a January 2013 memo that the lobby firm accidentally emailed to state legislators, “[Gov. Hickenlooper’s] relationship to the oil & gas industry… Read more »

State Department Inspector General Probing Keystone XL Contractor’s Conflicts of Interest

Posted by & filed under KeystoneXL.

In yet another investigation into the Obama Administration’s activities, the State Department Inspector General is probing the conflicts of interest surrounding the contractor that performed the Keystone XL review,. The American public was supposed to get an honest look at the impacts of the Keystone XL pipeline. Instead, Environmental Resources Management (ERM), a fossil fuel contractor,… Read more »

C&BP Calls for State Dept. Investigation into Keystone XL Consultant’s Conflicts of Interest

Posted by & filed under Uncategorized.

Letter to Secretary of State John Kerry and State Dept. Deputy Inspector General Harold Geisel Originally posted on April 9, 2013.  Yesterday, Checks & Balances Project and 11 environmental, faith-based and public interest organizations called on Secretary of State John Kerry and the State Department Deputy Inspector General Harold Geisel to investigate whether Environmental Resources… Read more »

Gov. Hickenlooper a bad example on oil-and-gas issues

Posted by & filed under Colorado, Fracking, Virginia.

The cozy relationship between politicians and big business has been a fact of life in America since the days of the robber barons. Today, this affiliation is especially strong between certain governors and the oil and gas industry. And, the consequences could include drastic impacts on the health and safety of their constituents. Nowhere is this more apparent… Read more »

Analysis: Colorado BLM failing to enact Obama energy reforms – creating red tape, uncertainty

Posted by & filed under Colorado, Permitting.

A stunning new analysis shows striking inefficiencies at work in Colorado that should infuriate anyone looking for a smarter approach to federal oil and gas leasing – including both conservationists and energy companies. In Colorado, leases sold by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) have attracted nearly three times the number of costly, time-consuming lawsuits… Read more »