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May 2nd, in a Republican-dominated Senate Committee, three bills sponsored by Rep. Mike Foote and Senator Matt Jones and designed to help protect children, school districts, and the populace, were all “killed” on a party-line vote.
The atmosphere in the hearing was described by one Longmont testifier as a “meat grinder,” chewing up bills that were meant to support people in order to keep the status quo for the Oil and Gas industry.
These bills were reasonable. They didn’t require big changes from the industry. Each provided a buffer of safety for school children and enhanced the ability of local government to protect people. One bill would have protected school district lands and city and county open space from forced pooling.
What’s forced pooling? It's the same as eminent domain, only for corporations, not governments. It's a right granted by Colorado law to the Oil and Gas Industry. Because an oil well extracts crude oil and natural gas from an area around the well, the extraction operator must lease not only the land where the well is drilled, but the underground area affected by the extraction process. Such an area, adjudicated by the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, is called a spacing permit. A spacing area may include land with several owners. If only one owner within the spacing area enters into a lease with an operator, then the other rights owners can be forced into leasing too. This is forced pooling.
Colorado's pooling laws favor the Oil and Gas industry. Because of this, city governments and school districts who have bought mineral rights to protect their towns or schools have no defense against forced pooling. If you worry about government overreach the fact that the Oil and Gas Industry has this much power should concern you. If you think voting for state legislators and county officials isn’t important then please wake up. Our rights, our health and our safety as residents of Colorado and parents of school children are being infringed daily.
Before you vote ask candidates…will you support regulations to protect our health and safety over the Industry?
Marilyn Hughes
Longmont, CO
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