The vice chairman of the panel that regulates oil and gas drilling has resigned, citing Gov. Bill Ritter’s refusal to consult regulators before pushing plans to revamp the commission and its mission.
Brian J. Cree of Littleton tendered his immediate resignation from the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, saying he was “disappointed” the governor never responded to a two-page letter he sent March 13 requesting a meeting.
Cree’s resignation, dated Monday, surfaced Tuesday as Ritter sat down with reporters to tout inclusive, bipartisan negotiations as the hallmark of the accomplishments of his first 100 days in office.
“Most of the best things we have done are the product of a great deal of teamwork. Many of them are the product of our being able to reach across the divide that exists between different communities of interest and even reach across the partisan divide,” Ritter said.
Asked if he agreed with the assessment, House Minority Leader Mike May quipped: “We haven’t been contacted.”
“They have a triple majority. They can do whatever they choose,” he said. “But to claim there has been substantive discussion between the first floor and minority leadership in either the House or Senate is not correct.”
Ritter, however, pointed to a compromise sealed Monday on the oil and gas panel overhaul as a solid example of bipartisanship.
“We worked very hard with industry to get them to a place where they were at least neutral,” Ritter said.
House Bill 1341 – passed by the House and endorsed by a Senate committee this week – would reduce the number of oil and gas experts on the panel while adding environmental, wildlife and landowners to the regulatory process.
While the oil and gas industry has accepted compromise language and grudgingly agreed to stop opposing the bill, current and past oil and gas commissioners lined up to testify against the measure.
For the most part, they took exception with contentions the industry was regulating itself at the expense of public health and the environment.
“I categorically reject the notion that the COGCC is controlled by the industry – a public ‘perception’ that is being stage-managed by groups dedicated to bringing oil and gas extraction to a grinding halt,” wrote Cree, who works for a semiconductor company.
In that letter, he criticized Department of Natural Resources director Harris Sherman for wrongly presuming the commission was broken and lacked credibility.
The biggest disappointment, Cree said Tuesday, was that the Ritter administration never contacted any of the seven commissioners for input on current processes or proposed changes.
Cree said he and the commission chair talked to Sherman briefly, at their request.
“We explained the things we were doing that we felt good about,” he said. “He listened, asked one or two questions, then said he had a meeting with the governor. He said he felt changes needed to be made and wanted to let us know he was going to propose a bill.”
Cree said that’s when he decided to send the letter to Ritter outlining his concerns and what he believed to be misperceptions about the commission.
In the letter, Cree noted he has had no ties – financial or otherwise – to the industry since his appointment by former Gov. Bill Owens in 1999, and that “providing a balance between oil and gas development and the protection of the environment was the main reason I agreed to serve on the commission.”
Ritter thanked Cree, whose term was to expire in July, for his service.
“We are trying to take the commission in a new direction,” Ritter spokesman Evan Dreyer said. “It is certainly Mr. Cree’s prerogative if he does not want to be part of that.”
Asked about Ritter’s lack of response to Cree’s letter, Dreyer said: “He did have a meeting with the director of the Department of Natural Resources, who has been extremely involved in this. That’s a high-level meeting.”
Ritter admits missteps, notes successes
Gov. Bill Ritter on Tuesday acknowledged some missteps in his first 100 days as governor – including not stepping in earlier to work with lawmakers on a controversial union-organizing bill that he ultimately vetoed.
“I don’t think anybody can look and say it’s been perfect,” Ritter said.
Still, he released a list of accomplishments showing he is on his way to completing his first-term agenda.
To date, the governor has signed 172 bills into law, issued 96 executive orders, and made 125 nominations and appointments.
ENERGY
HEALTH CARE
TRANSPORTATION
ENVIRONMENT
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
