BRECKENRIDGE, Colo. - All is quiet on the western slope, at least on the subject of regulating oil and gas development -- but that's about to change.
Now that it's taken BP more than five weeks to find even a stop-gap solution to stop the daily spillage of an estimated 60,000 gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, those who have criticized the regulation of oil and gas development -- regulations that might have prevented the explosion at BP's Deepwater Horizon rig last month had they actually been enforced -- have been suddenly silent on the matter.
On the flip side, Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter, who's been criticized as much as anyone after imposing stiffer regulations last year on oil and gas exploration in the state, is speaking up, especially as a chorus of Republicans, namely the two trying to replace him, continue to turn Ritter's revised oil and gas rules into a campaign issue.
"It was a hard fight, but I stand here today feeling very good about having fought that fight," Ritter said Thursday after a bill-signing ceremony here in Summit County.
"People are going to have a much more difficult time criticizing these rules because we're being good stewards of the environment. The BP spill in the Gulf is the exclamation point on what happens when stewardship wanes, when it goes away. We didn't do that, we were stewards. And, yes, it was a fight with the industry but it was a fight worth having for us because I can feel comfortable that we've got the right permitting process in place."
Ritter's comments drew a strong rebuke Friday from Colorado GOP chair Dick Wadhams.
"I think that's one of the most preposterous and reprehensible statements Ritter has made through his entire failed term as governor," Wadhams said. "I'd like him to point to an accident or spill in Colorado comparable to the horrible spill in the Gulf. For him to try to justify his job-killing energy regulations by equating Colorado's energy industry to what is going on with BP in the Gulf is a low standard even by Ritter's low standards.
"This really shows why he's going to go down as one of the most incompetent governor's in the history of the state."
After passing the new Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) rules last session, Ritter negotiated a landmark clean air bill this past year after bringing together environmentalists and energy providers to draw up a proposal to convert the state's aging coal plants to cleaner natural gas-producing facilities in an effort to craft a state-based solution to the looming federal air quality mandates.
That bill, co-sponsored by several top Republicans, drew far less criticism -- only the coal industry was angered by being left out of negotiations -- and has been heralded by some conservatives as a welcome sign that Ritter, architect of the "New Energy Economy", was indeed open to energy development beyond wind and solar power.
Ritter said that bill wouldn't have been possible had he not gone toe to toe with the Colorado Oil and Gas Association (COGA) a year earlier.
"We took the long view from the beginning. We saw natural gas as this really important resource, a resource that if we utilized it more extensively, could reduce emissions," Ritter said. "We were able to pass that bill this year on coal to natural gas transition because I felt comfortable that we have the right environmental protections in place for the drilling of natural gas."
Republican GOP gubernatorial hopeful Dan Maes, however, echoed Wadham's assessment of Ritter's latest comments.
"It's reprehensible for anyone to use this for political gain," Maes said. "[The spill] shouldn't have happened, its tragic, but for him to try to make political hay out of it is reprehensible. And the truth is, his regulations have literally chased the industry out of our state and the rig counts reflect that."
Maes's primary opponent, former congressman Scott McInnis, has repeatedly ripped Ritter for the new oil and gas rules on the campaign trail; but McInnis declined to comment on Ritter's latest remarks through spokesman Sean Duffy.
It's McInnis who has tried the hardest to lure Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, the lone Democrat running for governor, into a debate over the oil and gas rules.
Hickenlooper has yet to bite and fully engage McInnis on the issue, but his spokesman, George Merritt, offered a preview of what he'll say when he does.
"John believes we can protect our water and natural areas and still have a robust natural gas industry," Merritt said. "Most of the rules that were adopted were already the industry standard for major companies. The key is to work together so that the industry has predictability, while we ensure our health and water are protected. "
Now that it's taken BP more than five weeks to find even a stop-gap solution to stop the daily spillage of an estimated 60,000 gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, those who have criticized the regulation of oil and gas development -- regulations that might have prevented the explosion at BP's Deepwater Horizon rig last month had they actually been enforced -- have been suddenly silent on the matter.
On the flip side, Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter, who's been criticized as much as anyone after imposing stiffer regulations last year on oil and gas exploration in the state, is speaking up, especially as a chorus of Republicans, namely the two trying to replace him, continue to turn Ritter's revised oil and gas rules into a campaign issue.
"It was a hard fight, but I stand here today feeling very good about having fought that fight," Ritter said Thursday after a bill-signing ceremony here in Summit County.
"People are going to have a much more difficult time criticizing these rules because we're being good stewards of the environment. The BP spill in the Gulf is the exclamation point on what happens when stewardship wanes, when it goes away. We didn't do that, we were stewards. And, yes, it was a fight with the industry but it was a fight worth having for us because I can feel comfortable that we've got the right permitting process in place."
Ritter's comments drew a strong rebuke Friday from Colorado GOP chair Dick Wadhams.
"I think that's one of the most preposterous and reprehensible statements Ritter has made through his entire failed term as governor," Wadhams said. "I'd like him to point to an accident or spill in Colorado comparable to the horrible spill in the Gulf. For him to try to justify his job-killing energy regulations by equating Colorado's energy industry to what is going on with BP in the Gulf is a low standard even by Ritter's low standards.
"This really shows why he's going to go down as one of the most incompetent governor's in the history of the state."
After passing the new Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) rules last session, Ritter negotiated a landmark clean air bill this past year after bringing together environmentalists and energy providers to draw up a proposal to convert the state's aging coal plants to cleaner natural gas-producing facilities in an effort to craft a state-based solution to the looming federal air quality mandates.
That bill, co-sponsored by several top Republicans, drew far less criticism -- only the coal industry was angered by being left out of negotiations -- and has been heralded by some conservatives as a welcome sign that Ritter, architect of the "New Energy Economy", was indeed open to energy development beyond wind and solar power.
Ritter said that bill wouldn't have been possible had he not gone toe to toe with the Colorado Oil and Gas Association (COGA) a year earlier.
"We took the long view from the beginning. We saw natural gas as this really important resource, a resource that if we utilized it more extensively, could reduce emissions," Ritter said. "We were able to pass that bill this year on coal to natural gas transition because I felt comfortable that we have the right environmental protections in place for the drilling of natural gas."
Republican GOP gubernatorial hopeful Dan Maes, however, echoed Wadham's assessment of Ritter's latest comments.
"It's reprehensible for anyone to use this for political gain," Maes said. "[The spill] shouldn't have happened, its tragic, but for him to try to make political hay out of it is reprehensible. And the truth is, his regulations have literally chased the industry out of our state and the rig counts reflect that."
Maes's primary opponent, former congressman Scott McInnis, has repeatedly ripped Ritter for the new oil and gas rules on the campaign trail; but McInnis declined to comment on Ritter's latest remarks through spokesman Sean Duffy.
It's McInnis who has tried the hardest to lure Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, the lone Democrat running for governor, into a debate over the oil and gas rules.
Hickenlooper has yet to bite and fully engage McInnis on the issue, but his spokesman, George Merritt, offered a preview of what he'll say when he does.
"John believes we can protect our water and natural areas and still have a robust natural gas industry," Merritt said. "Most of the rules that were adopted were already the industry standard for major companies. The key is to work together so that the industry has predictability, while we ensure our health and water are protected. "
