“It’s unfortunate, because it’s still going to have a devastating effect on not just Weld County, but the entire state — on downtown Denver,” Sen. John Cooke, R-Greeley, said in a phone interview between committee meetings Wednesday.
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Industry officials had a similar take, with the Colorado Petroleum Council and the Colorado Oil and Gas Association issuing a joint statement thanking Republicans for voting against the bill.
“This much we do know: Senate Bill 181 still attempts to cripple the industry’s ability to continue operations in Colorado,” according to the joint statement. “If signed into law, this legislation will diminish funding for critical public services, including education, health care and road maintenance.”
The vote came amid a blizzard across the Front Range, and in spite of the fact that the Colorado House was closed for the day.
Senate President, Democrat Leroy Garcia, has drawn his share of ire for the decision, which comes on the heels of a Republicans’ attempts to slow down the process by having a 2,000-page bill read aloud.
“The (Senate) president is putting people at risk by making everybody stay there,” said Cooke, who asked for the 2,000-page bill to be read.
Environmental groups cheered the bill’s passage, which came with a variety of amendments.
One of the amendments establishes a procedure for reviewing sites oil and gas development outside of the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission and local governments. A separate group would review the case, then provide a non-binding recommendation.
Another changes language related to oil and gas development within counties but outside of municipal boundaries, potentially making oil and gas development easier in those locations.
Conservation Colorado Executive Director Kelly Nordini, in a statement sent Wednesday morning, thanked the Colorado Senate for passing the bill.
“Thank you to the Colorado State Senate for acting decisively to prioritize Colorado’s air, water and residents over oil and gas industry profits,” Nordini’s statement read in part. “We urge the House to act swiftly, pass these common-sense reforms and send them to Governor Polis to sign so we can put Coloradans’ health and safety first.”
— Tyler Silvy is a content manager for The Greeley Tribune. Reach him at tsilvy@greeleytribune.com. Connect with him at Facebook.com/TylerSilvy or @TylerSilvy on Twitter.