Colorado: This fight is just getting started

[dan_s]

Oil and gas generates $1 billion in state and local taxes for Colorado, report finds . Denver Post
Colorado's oil and gas industry and its employees pay almost $1 billion in state and local taxes, according to a new report released Friday — a significant chunk of change as the General Assembly contemplates new regulations on the industry. The Colorado Oil and Gas Association report, compiled by an economist from the University of Colorado Denver, says the state's oil and gas sector employed about 30,000 people in 2017, created about 51,000 additional jobs, added about $13.5 billion to Colorado's domestic product and provided 81 percent of the distributions doled out through the School Trust. "In Colorado, where it is nearly impossible to raise taxes, a billion dollars from a single industry is a significant revenue stream that should not be taken for granted," COGA President Dan Haley said. Oil and gas companies and their supporters say Senate Bill 181 would cripple production and lead to drilling bans like the temporary one enacted this week in Adams County. Note: World Oil also reports.

Elected leaders from across Colorado send letter to Governor Polis opposing oil and gas bill . The Denver Channel
As the House Finance Committee prepared to take up Senate Bill 19-181 on Monday, dozens of city and county leaders are coming together to speak out against it. At its core, the bill would change the focus of the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) away from fostering development and prioritize the protection of public safety, health, welfare, and the environment in regulating the oil and gas industry. But while lawmakers debate the merits of the bill, elected leaders from dozens of cities and counties across Colorado are speaking out against it. On Tuesday, both the City of Evans and Morgan County voted on a resolution to oppose the bill. 44 other elected officials from Greeley, Grand Junction, Weld County, Rio Blanco and other jurisdictions who penned a letter to Governor Jared Polis expressing opposition to the bill. That letter, which was first obtained by the Greeley Tribune, reads in part, “Senate Bill 181 is especially troubling, as it singles out a single industry and could make it prohibitively difficult for many operators to continue working in our state."

With state legislation pending, Colorado county temporarily suspends new drilling . NGI
Calling it a glimpse of the future under proposed energy regulatory reform now moving through the Colorado legislature, industry representatives are blasting a decision by the Adams County’s elected Board of Commissioners to establish a temporary moratorium on new drilling. The Colorado Oil and Gas Association (COGA) and Colorado Petroleum Council (CPC) blasted the moratorium and blamed the pending legislation. COGA CEO Dan Haley said "politics trumped policy as the uncertainty surrounding SB 181 spilled out of the statehouse and led to its first moratorium.” He said unless inherent flaws in the legislative proposal are corrected, "we'll see this uncertainty and confusion spread." Haley said a temporary county ban was unnecessary and could have a chilling effect on the state's economy. “It sends a negative message to businesses and workers in Adams County.”