I, for one, applaud Gov. Bill Ritter’s recent appointments to the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. While we need to continue to explore and drill for oil and gas on our Western Slope, we also must do it with proper oversight.

If we are to leave the decisions to the oil and gas industries, much of the Piceance Basin (approximately 7,000 square miles) will be covered with roads and drill rigs, with nothing preserved for the future. Case in point is the Roan Plateau.

Why is it so hard for the gas industry to allow this sportsmen’s paradise and wildlife rich area to remain intact? It is but a very small part (less than 1 percent) of the Piceance Basin, where 90 percent of the federal minerals are already available for drilling. However, industry’s money in the political arena have “influenced” the BLM and some lawmakers in our Capitol to ignore the will of the people to preserve this area.
This is forever, folks! These lands will never, not in our lifetime nor our grand kid’s lifetimes, ever be restored to their natural state where we can enjoy them as they are now.

With these appointments by Gov. Ritter, we can now expect some checks and balances and hopefully move the oil and gas industries forward in a stable, consistent manner without trashing the quality of life we love. The recent spills in Garden Gulch, just north of Parachute and the fact that the operators failed to report two of the spills, show that the industry’s interest is with making a buck, not balancing development and being a good neighbor.

I am not against tapping into our resources, we just need to do it responsibly and in a manner to protect what Colorado is known for – our outdoor heritage and wildlife.

KARL VAN CALCAR
Palisade

This entry was posted on Monday, March 24th, 2008 at 11:12 am and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.