DENVER-
The Colorado House gave initial approval to a measure Thursday that would diversify the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission following an emotional debate over complaints the panel has gotten too cozy with the industry it regulates.
The measure (House Bill 1341) would increase the number of board members from seven to nine to include the directors of the Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Public Health and Environment. It would also decrease from five to three the members who must have backgrounds in the oil and gas industry.
The bill must pass another reading in the House before it goes to the Senate.
Rep. Kathleen Curry, D-Gunnison, said the commission focuses too much on promoting, fostering and encouraging the industry at the expense of property owners who are forced to deal with waste and other problems caused by Colorado’s energy boom.
“We have a problem we need to fix in the state of Colorado. It is our belief that the current structure of the commission and their mission does not meet the needs of the state of Colorado,” Curry said.
Curry said out of 1,500 complaints filed over the past five years, only 11 resulted in fines against oil and gas drillers.
Rep. Cory Gardner, R-Yuma, said the bill will drive up costs for consumers and change 100 years of property rights for mineral owners in Colorado.
“This bill changes the very foundation and notion of the property right,” Gardner said.
Gardner was one of 14 lawmakers, including three Democrats, who wrote a letter Monday asking Gov. Bill Ritter to slow down legislation changing regulation of the oil and gas industry so the potential effects on the economy can be studied.
Democrats rejected numerous amendments from Republicans who tried to give the industry a bigger role on the revised board.
The bill would require two members from the Western Slope, three members with experience in the oil and gas industry, three members with a college degree in petroleum geology or engineering, one government official, one environmentalist or wildlife expert, one person with experience in soil conservation, and one agricultural royalty owner.
Curry said the bill is designed to protect residents in 24 counties affected by oil and gas drilling. She said lawmakers can balance the needs of the industry while at the same time responding to complaints from people affected by the industry.
