September 10, 2011 09:09 AM UTC

Hick Urges COGCC to Issue Stronger Fracking Regulations

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• by: khmeck

I expect those familiar with Governor Hickenlooper’s track record on environmental issues are surprised to see him out-front urging the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission to beef-up regulation of fracking in Colorado to include requiring companies to disclose any chemicals they are pumping into our ground. (Okay, being pro-disclosure hardly counts as out-front, but even being “out-middle” is surprising, coming from Hick.)

What is this? Leadership from Hickenlooper on the environment?? If it seems to good to be true, could that be because it ain’t really leadership?

Consider: Colorado is second only to Texas in the amount of fracking fluid pumped under its soil between 2005 and 2009. And Hickenlooper–a former petroleum geologist–has been billing his support of mandatory disclosure as a step toward strengthening the industry, because secrecy is poisoning public perception of a technology which Hick calls so harmless that environmental harm is “almost inconceivable.” He’s selling tougher regulations as a long-term win for shale drillers.  

That’s hooey if you ask me, and here’s why: Texas already has a mandatory full disclosure requirement. Rick Perry’s Texas didn’t add regulations to the oil and gas industry because they’re “leading the way” in terms of protecting their state’s land and water. Texas requires disclosure because it’s the bare minimum. Because when it comes to big companies pumping millions of gallons of–hell, I don’t care if it’s rosewater–into holes of awesome depth on public lands and beneath public aquifers transparency isn’t optional.

If Hick really wanted to get transparency for fracking regulations, he’d talk about why the principle isn’t negotiable. But he’d rather burnish his credentials as a “centrist” and a friend of the big businessman, while being just pro-transparency enough to avoid giving real ammo to the environmental orgs he’s surely pissing off.

I just hope his ambition to be liked by exactly everyone–including industries that need new regulations and won’t like them–won’t mean the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission doesn’t feel pressured to actually adopt even a simple disclosure requirement. I mean, why would the commission care if Hick’s not out front on the issue? It’s not like Hick got them their jobs or anything, right?

To that end: sign the petition!

https://chn.ge/p8jpNE

Or write David Neslin, the Commission Director privately at: david.neslin@state.co.us