April 28, 2012 06:25 PM UTC

The GOP War on the West

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• by: taterheaptom

(So many wars, so little time… – promoted by Middle of the Road)

It can be a funny thing, rhetoric. The ‘War on the West’ as an imagineered battle being waged in the governance of the Western Slope and Eastern Plains, for example, from the secret progressive enclave in Boulder.  (Sorry, the word is out, you will need to begin your relocation procedures; AQW-887).  Or Chicago.  Its not always clear where the orders come from-but they are being carried out, increasingly, by the most mainstream of looking folks-soccer moms, county commissioners.  

That there is so much natural gas now we cannot store it all, and wells are being shut in even in the most productive fields, is of no consequence.  

That many of these ‘battles’ are orchastrated by high-priced astroturfing PR and communications firms is of no matter; liberals and their DC/Denver puppets are thwarting the greatest new old thing…Oil Shale!  Or Uranium!  

That anyone anywhere would dare suggest that drillers, miners, and baked-in-placed-for-years-at-700-degrees-ers should not be free to decide our fate, so long as the crumbs fall off their table in our direction… is an affront-a ‘War’ if you will, on the very West itself.

Yes indeed.  The rhetoric is strong.  But luckily for us we have leaders like state Sen. Brophy and Rep. Sonnenberg; and Members Tipton, Coffman, and Lamborn.  

Worried about your ability to maximize profits from the Niobrara because some uppity town council is concerned about its schoolchildren?

Do not fear-Rep. Sonnenberg is here! …To just take away all the impact fees such persnickety towns and counties collect for the damage already done; they’ll come back around once they have to lay off the fire chief, and a few things burn down!

Spite makes Right

A BILL (pdf) FOR AN ACT CONCERNING A PROHIBITION ON A LOCAL GOVERNMENT THAT IMPACTS OIL AND GAS EXTRACTION FROM RECEIVING ANY MONEYS FROM THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT SEVERANCE TAX FUND.

Summary-

…The bill prohibits any local government that restricts or delays the ability of an oil and gas producer to exercise the producer’s property right as a lessee or owner to extract oil and gas from receiving any grants or direct distributions from the local government severance tax fund.

Excerpt from the end of the bill-

BEGINNING JULY 1, 2012, A COUNTY OR MUNICIPALITY THAT IN ANY WAY RESTRICTS OR DELAYS THE ABILITY OF AN OIL AND GAS PRODUCER TO EXERCISE THE PRODUCER’S PROPERTY RIGHT AS A LESSEE OR OWNER TO EXTRACT OIL AND GAS IS INELIGIBLE FOR ANY DISTRIBUTION PURSUANT TO PARAGRAPH (c)  OF THIS SUBSECTION  (1). THE MONEYS OTHERWISE REQUIRED TO BE DISTRIBUTED TO THE COUNTY OR MUNICIPALITY ARE REDISTRIBUTED ON A PRO RATA BASIS TO ALL OTHER ELIGIBLE COUNTIES AND MUNICIPALITIES.

By ‘luckily for us’ I mean ‘luckily for them’-the Canadian, Dutch, British, Chinese, Texan and Oklahoman energy giants intent on making Colorado their energy colony. Because that is who these legislators seem intent on representing.  

Who are the others, then, the ones getting in the way–those that need subdued? Well, other government agencies in many cases, and citizens, businesses, worried parents, school administrators. Sometimes the very governments facing energy development-the nerve!  To not just supplicant themselves to the mighty ruler-cash almighty.

Public Bans, Padded Books

Luckily Sen. Brophy and Rep. Sonnenberg have stepped up to reestablish the proper order. But sadly, this insidious ‘we the people’ sentiment is not just limited to state and private lands–and thus the domain of the Gold Domed brothel alone.For this we need to pull in reinforcements–those who walk stroll the streets halls of our Capital, our very own Members (of Congress).  

Because aren’t you (aka ‘them’) just as sick and tired of citizens involving themselves in federal public land decisions?  Expressing concerns about their water supplies for instance? Or grousing about hunting. Perhaps your hopes to strike it richer are burdened by some parents worried about a BLM lease sale that would sell off all the lands around the local high school and swimming pool under 25-year-old management that never identified the school, pool or really anything in the community at all?  

Such parental involvement and community engagement is nothing but an impediment.  A terrible terrible thing.  Docile–now that’s the kind of Colorado these industry johns Members want–pliable, drillable…

Well, Rep. Coffman is here to ensure that pesky community members don’t get in the way of greasing the skids leasing for oil and gas. And don’t you miss the days of rampant speculation when bidders, and (maybe, who knows, it’s a guessing game!) drillers could take control of all the chips on the table?

Member Mike Coffman wants to take care of that too, with a bill that would force the Secretary to lease lands based on industry’s demands alone, without the ability of local governments, stakeholders, or the public to challenge those leases, and guaranteeing no additional environmental review.  

The Secretary shall offer for sale no less than 25 percent of the annual nominated acreage not previously made available for lease. Acreage offered for lease pursuant to this paragraph shall not be subject to protest and shall be eligible for categorical exclusions under section 390 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 15492), except that it shall not be subject to the test of extraordinary circumstances.

Think you need input anyways?  Well, it’ll cost you $5,000 to file a protest or challenge a drilling permit, on your public lands affecting your public minerals.  Because by ‘public’ what Mr. Lamborn means is ‘privately held.’ Is that clear now?    

(4) PROTEST FEE-

(A) IN GENERAL- The Secretary shall collect a $5,000 documentation fee to accompany each protest for a lease, right of way, or application for permit to drill.

Think we need more top-down, one-size-fits all rushed bureaucratic DC-centric decision-making? So does Congressman Tipton, who is pushing for one single, national document to cover all energy development in the entire West, putting DC bureaucrats in charge of setting the future for western Colorado.  

Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement- Not later than 12 months after the date of enactment of this section, in accordance with section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C)), the Secretary shall complete a programmatic environmental impact statement. This programmatic environmental impact statement will be deemed sufficient to comply with all requirements under that Act for all necessary resource management and land use plans associated with the implementation of the strategy.

The Real War on the People of the West

The real War on the West is being waged by my congressman Scott Tipton, and his colleagues in the House.  And by Sen. Brophy, Rep. Sonnenberg, and their colleagues on Colfax.  

It is the attempt to strip local governments of even their basic authorities-and moral duties-to represent and promote the welfare of their citizens.  And it is an attempt to strip American citizens of their rights to petition their government and to be involved in decisions that directly affect them.  

It is a personal affront to the people of Colorado, and to Mr. Tipton’s constituents, in the North Fork for instance.

It is hard to image a more obvious pander to the oil and gas lobbyist than this set of bills-state and federal-and a more despicable display of sycophantry.