CO-04 (Special Election)
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(R) Greg Lopez
(R) Trisha Calvarese
90%
10%
President (To Win Colorado)
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(D) Joe Biden*
(R) Donald Trump
80%
20%↓
CO-01 (Denver)
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(D) Diana DeGette*
90%
CO-02 (Boulder-ish)
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(D) Joe Neguse*
90%
CO-03 (West & Southern CO)
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(D) Adam Frisch
(R) Jeff Hurd
(R) Ron Hanks
40%
30%
20%
CO-04 (Northeast-ish Colorado)
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(R) Lauren Boebert
(R) Deborah Flora
(R) J. Sonnenberg
30%↑
15%↑
10%↓
CO-05 (Colorado Springs)
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(R) Dave Williams
(R) Jeff Crank
50%↓
50%↑
CO-06 (Aurora)
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(D) Jason Crow*
90%
CO-07 (Jefferson County)
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(D) Brittany Pettersen
85%↑
CO-08 (Northern Colo.)
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(D) Yadira Caraveo
(R) Gabe Evans
(R) Janak Joshi
60%↑
35%↓
30%↑
State Senate Majority
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DEMOCRATS
REPUBLICANS
80%
20%
State House Majority
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DEMOCRATS
REPUBLICANS
95%
5%
October 21, 2011 07:09 PM UTC
21 Comments
http://www.coloradopols.com/di…
Step 1. Tell people fracking is safe and that you are making it safer.
Step 2. ?
Step 3. Safe Fracking!!! (and money)
I went to a fracking experts panel meeting last night. There were about 400 people gathered at Aurora Community College to ask questions of 7 or 8 fracking experts, including two weasley men from the oil and gas industry. I went into it with an open mind, hoping the regulations were in place to mitigate the pending environmental disasters my friends have warned me about.
To say I was frightened to the bone by what I heard is an understatement. I felt ill when I left.
The event was organized by Democratic Senator Morgan Carroll and Democratic State House Reps Rhonda Fields, Nancy Todd, and Su Ryden. They moderated the event.
Takeaways: There are federal regulations that require large corporations to disclose proprietary information to emergency personnel to clean up hazardous spills or explosions and to treat injured civillians as a result. THE ONLY INDUSTRY EXEMPT FROM THIS LAW IS THE OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY. If the fracking chemicals used, or the backwater waste were to spill or leak, there is no requirement for them to EVER tell the public what they have been exposed to. NONE. ZIP. NADA. Regulating themselves and disclosing necessary information about environmental regulations is voluntary. (I am not shitting you.)
Some of the toxic wastes left over from the fracking process cannot be located elsewhere because there is nowhere else to put it. OPEN PITS WILL BE USED TO evaporate water (think cesspools)in many areas. There will be tens of thousands of drill-sites associated with fracking all over Colorado. (I shit you not).
The environmental concerns are rampant,and all the industry can say is “We are discussing rules. We have spoken with many environmental groups”. What they are not saying is, self-imposed “rules” are meaningless. Where are the LAWS? Also, they’ve “spoken with environmental groups”. And???? Are they listening to them? Clearly, no.
Perhaps the most frightening thing I heard last night was from Senator Morgan Carroll, after the meeting. Much of the fracking will be done on the Loury bombing range, which has only been cleaned up about fifty percent. Under the ground there is plutonium and uranium, among other things. Fracking will shoot high volumes of water and other toxic chemicals at super-high intensities to move and collect oil. With all of that blasting going on underground, the uranium and plutonium, among other things, is likely to be disturbed. Again, I am not shitting you folks.
If you are not afraid of fracking, truly, you need to be. This industry could be the ruin of our beautiful state.
Republicans have their hands deep in the pockets of this industry. You won’t hear anything from them about it.
Cool: strawberry-banana-diesel cooler
The state regulatory agency, Colorado Oil & Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC), will begin considering updating its rules for disclosure of fracking fluids next week (official notice as pdf here).
The actual public hearing will likely take place in December. Check back with the COGCC in the next week or so to read the draft rules.
If you have concerns, make them known known.
But do “rules” mean laws? How are they enforced? Who sits on the commission? Can you tell us more about how this industry is regulated?
The SOB (and I do not normally use words like that) at the meeting last night was smug and self-righteous, using only generalities and talking points. When I asked about the emergency services exemption (above) he assured me “We make sure the information will be disseminated responsibly” (paraphrasing) and directed me to an b.s. industry website. When I tried to talk to him after the meeting, he just pushed passed me. There was no attempt for honesty and transparency.
COGCC Website
Under “General” from their main menu, there is a list of the commissioners with some biographical sketches.
There is aslo a spreadsheet which shows how the Commission must be made up and who fills the various requirements.
“rules” do not mean laws. But the COGCC is authorized, by law, to develop, implement, and enforce rules that serve to ensure that oil & gas development is conducted in a manner that minimizes risk of damage to Colorado.
From the COGCC website
The rules can be found here.
The enabling legislation is known as the Oil and Gas Conservation Act.
That should be enough to start. 😉
Looks like I have some reading to do.
“Rules” means “Rules.”
Many executive-branch agencies are give the power of rulemaking.
You should think about re-taking that civics course you probably slept through in junior high school.
Windmills were cool until the dead birds started piling up.
Solar was cool until Solyndra.
Meanwhile, what is actually heating American homes right now, day in and day out?
You’ve got a question or two to answer. Or explain why you won’t.
I’m sorry, but I’ve answered these silly questions from you over and over again. I will summarize again one more time.
1. I think you first need to find a member of the Democrat-controlled Adams County government who is NOT corrupt. I realize that Democrats have taken to pretending that Adams County does not exist, but like I said, I think three facing possible charges there is enough to start.
And I want you to know that when the ads hit about Sal Pace’s repeated public urination charges, including just blocks from the Capitol where he now serves as minority leader, I’m going to remind you about this conversation. Ok? Mark my words, ok? That is going to be a fun day for me. I want you to know it now.
2. As I have explained, there were about 200 suspected fraudulent ballots turned over to the Denver DA from the last election. I’d like for one of you, a fellow Democrat, to call his office and ask what has been done with those ballots. I think you will be very surprised by the answer, OR MAYBE NOT.
I hope this helps, as you know I come here to be helpful to hapless liberals like yourself. I noticed you stopped demanding I show you proof that the Occupy Denver anarchists were defecating in Lincoln Park after the Governor told you. It takes time, but reason will get through to you yet!
1.) That’s hearsay. I notice you avoided mentioning a single name there, since doing so would constitute an act of libel.
Also, Sal Pace was 18 at the time. You might have something if he did that today, but 15 years ago, when he was in high school? That’s grasping for straws.
2.) No. YOU care about the ballots, YOU do the work.
Put up or shut up.
YOU call the Denver DA.
And not “windmills?” After all, it’s windows that cause roughly a thousand times more bird deaths than wind turbines. Each and every year.
I guess windows aren’t cool anymore?
Facts can be ruinous to a stupid ideology. Well, I guess if you hazard a visit to the reality-based world on occasion.
Thanks to ArapaGOP for bringing this up! I appreciate his concern for all the dear little birds on the planet.
The efficiency of wind turbines has improved as mechanical engineers optimized the power by using new materials and very long blades. These blades move slowly, but with very high momentum.
Birds don’t fly into these big, slow-moving blades.
At present economics, wind energy is much cheaper than a new coal plant.
Old coal plants are competitive only because the capital has long been paid off, and the major expense is coal which is cheap. But they aren’t cheap if you actually counted the health, death and global warming consequences of coal generation. Unfortunately, these “externalities” are paid for by the US public, which provides a huge subsidy to the coal energy industry.
Since wind turbines have no cost for inputs, their only expense is the initial capitalization. Long term US treasury interest rates today are under 3%. In other words, the dire economic situation provides an extraordinary (literally) opportunity for a huge expansion in wind turbines.
And finally, we find a valid example of a Republican talking point: Regulatory uncertainty has a major impact on long-term financing of wind farm projects. Republicans are guilty of creating economic uncertainty by jerking regulations around so solar and wind developments can’t plan for their 30 year life-cycles.
This regulatory uncertainty is probably intentional, given the influence of the oil & coal industries, and the desire of Republicans for Obama’s programs to fail.
Thanks again to ArapaGOP for reminding us how cool solar energy is. Notice how quickly reality debunks Republican talking points.
Oct. 14, 2011. GE to build a huge thin-film solar energy platn.
Why do Republicans Hate America?
The reality of long-term scientific research is that you don’t know which technology wins the race. Does sun to electric efficiency win, or do manufacturing costs?. Breakthroughs in one may or may not pan out, so you have to roll the dice on many technologies. Private industry prefers loaded dice, so doesn’t invest until it knows which technologies will be profitable. Government investment is a method of sharing the risk of uncertainty by betting on many different horses. Tax dollars provide seed money to many technologies, many research institutes, many start-ups, and we all win in the long term.
What is truly sad, is when our government runs up deficits to subsidize mature industries like Oil and Gas. Heavy dependence on fossil fuels is so detrimental to our national security. The Republican slogan is “Deplete America First”.
Another straw man argument from ArapaGOP.
First, as noted below technology has changed considerably since the talking points you are working off of were crafted.
Second, in any energy development siting is key. Oil and gas shouldn’t occur anywhere and everywhere at industry’s whim–rather other things must be considered. The same is true of wind and solar. Just becasue its not appropriate everywhere doesn’t mean we oppose it anywhere–whether O&G or wind.
Finally, the article–you will note–is about fracking. Some people are calling for an outright ban. Most are not. Most are stating that the public interest should be better protected–clean water, clean air, safe roads without fracking trucks careening into waterways and the like.
You seem to be arguing that since there are impacts from wind and since one particular solar company went bankrupt during the Great Recession that we should not ensure oil and gas development is done properly.
And that is a stupid argument. But not unexpected considering the source.