The obvious intent of House Bill 1255, introduced Tuesday in the Colorado legislature, is to weaken, or even eliminate, state control over oil and gas drilling. Bad enough, but the subplot goes even deeper, a perfidious plan to discredit the Colorado Division of Wildlife for whatever maneuvers wildlife foes might conjure up down the road.
The bill was introduced by Rep. Cory Gardner, R-Yuma, who never met anti-wildlife legislation he didn’t like. Naturally, the overture came in the house Agriculture and Natural Resource Committee, conduit for most wildlife attacks and where pro-wildlife measures go to die. More about that later.
Gardner’s assault essentially challenges DOW’s ability to make recommendations regarding drilling limits as pertains to protection of critical wildlife habitat. Proponents trotted out a procession of yokels who claimed, with a straight face, they know more about wildlife and the potential impact of drilling than the professionals, hoping to find enough legislators fool enough, or twisted enough, to believe it.
The ploy thus far has been laced with falsehoods, the most blatant of which is the suggestion that DOW has unilateral authority to shoot down drilling projects. In truth, the agency is required by law to act in a consulting capacity providing information and recommendations to the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. It cannot dictate permit terms or limit issuance of permits. No more, no less. That measure, HB 1298, passed unanimously in 2007.
Under persistent attack, current COGCC rulings already have been watered down dramatically. This latest move apparently represents an industry belief it now can swoop in for the kill.
A couple of considerations should be mentioned here. One is that drillers became emboldened after spending $10 million in a massive campaign — again packed with lies — to defeat Amendment 58, which would have imposed a severance tax common to other states.
Another is that wildlife foes are aware of an effort to revive the former Game, Fish and Parks legislative committees in both legislative chambers, a change that would remove many critical issues from under the thumb of hostile committee heads. The notion is to give wildlife and recreation the same level playing field it enjoyed before being hijacked by agriculture and pro-development interests three decades ago. That attempt likely will be made in 2010, a year later than it should have been, giving wildlife opponents another entire session to take potshots.
Not incidentally, DOW’s role in resource protection has been affirmed in a letter signed by 63 prominent wildlife professionals, mostly retirees from that agency, the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Bureau of Land Management. Who should know better than they?
CRP gets a boost.
On the subject of letters, Gov. Bill Ritter has dispatched a letter to Washington urging Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to begin renewing contracts with farmers extending the Conservation Reserve Program.
CRP pays landowners to maintain weed and grassland cover for pheasant, quail, deer, pronghorn and other wildlife, large and small. It also provides needed income for farmers reeling from drought.
Here’s hoping the administration heeds this plea to extend the program before millions of key habitat acres are lost across the Midwest.
Charlie Meyers: 303-954-1609 or cmeyers@denverpost.com
