Gov. John Hickenlooper continues to oppose local efforts to protect residents from oil and gas drilling pollution, going so far as to sue local governments and taxpayers.
In his most recent action, the Hickenlooper-appointed Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission openly joined the Colorado Oil and Gas Association, an industry lobby-group headed-up by CEO Tisha Schuller, in the administration’s second lawsuit against the city of Longmont.
As drilling operations encroach more and more on suburban and urban residential neighborhoods, Colorado communities have taken steps to protect residents while the Hickenlooper administration has actively opposed stronger health and safety protections.
In a February interview for CBS affiliate 4 News, Gov. Hickenlooper said that he would, “have to” sue every city and county that passes a fracking ban.
However, local elected officials aren’t taking the governor’s attacks lying down. In June, after Gov. Hickenlooper helped kill bills in the legislature to improve drilling and fracking regulations, 100 current and former local electeds signed a letter to Gov. Hickenlooper that read, “We would like to work with you in crafting an improved approach to addressing oil and gas development in Colorado.”
The letter went on to read, “We are concerned that the State’s positions do not adequately address the growing outcry from our citizens who are concerned about the health and safety of their families, the livability of neighborhoods, and the long-term economic vitality of our communities.”
As far as we know, that meeting hasn’t happened. As a former mayor of the City of Denver, one would think Gov. Hickenlooper would support local control and the right of municipalities to protect residents from dangerous oil and gas operations.
Ironically, he recently admitted that “oil and gas is an industrial process that none of us want in our backyard.”
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As long as he insists on making oil and gas companies a priority over the health of Colorado families, he should expect local officials and residents to get involved. The least he could do is stop wasting taxpayer money on lawsuits fighting communities from doing the job he’s failed to do, protect Colorado.
This is the fourth installment in our blog series “Hickenlooper’s Misdeeds,” which shines a spotlight on how Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper has put the interests of oil and gas companies ahead of the health of Colorado families and local communities.
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