DENVER—Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama says the federal government should collaborate with communities and groups affected by energy development across the West.
Obama told the Glenwood Springs Post Independent after his rally in Denver Sunday that another goal should be sustaining the other natural resources in the path of energy development.
“I have been troubled by how the Bush administration approaches it, which seems to always have the scales tilted toward unbridled development without considering the views of local communities,” Obama said.
Colorado and other states in the Rockies are experiencing a natural gas boom and could see commercial oil shale development at some point.
Gov. Bill Ritter and fellow Democrats in Colorado’s congressional delegation have criticized the federal government’s plans for drilling on western Colorado’s Roan Plateau and the decision to move ahead with regulations on oil shale even though commercial development is likely at least a decade away.
Oil shale deposits in Colorado, Wyoming and Utah contain an estimated total of 1 trillion to 1.8 trillion barrels of oil. Roughly 800 billion barrels are considered recoverable, but companies are still testing the technology to free the oil from the shale.
“When it comes to oil shale right now,” Obama said, “I think we have to do more research and more science to discover whether or not the amount of oil that would be generated would justify what would inevitably be some disruption of the landscape here in Colorado.”
Obama added that it’s important for the country to develop its natural resources, and that “Colorado is blessed with a lot of natural resources.” Development plans, though, should include input from conservationists, hunters and anglers and ranchers as well as business interests, he said.
Tom Kise, a spokesman for Republican presidential candidate John McCain, said Obama has opposed exploration of domestic oil and natural gas.
“He has demonstrated a pattern of saying and doing whatever his current audience wants to hear,” Kise said.
