{"id":2186549,"date":"2024-02-26T08:30:02","date_gmt":"2024-02-26T13:30:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/oil-gas-industry-to-fight-stricter-environmental-bills-in-colorado-legislature\/"},"modified":"2024-02-26T08:36:04","modified_gmt":"2024-02-26T13:36:04","slug":"oil-gas-industry-to-fight-stricter-environmental-bills-in-colorado-legislature","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/oil-gas-industry-to-fight-stricter-environmental-bills-in-colorado-legislature\/","title":{"rendered":"Oil and gas industry opposes stricter environmental bills in Colorado legislature"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Foil-gas-industry-to-fight-stricter-environmental-bills-in-colorado-legislature%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2186549&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>Business Leaders and Industry Representatives Denounce Environmental Legislation<\/h2>\n<p>Business leaders and representatives from Colorado&#8217;s petroleum and natural gas industries\u2064 have come together to \u200bdenounce a series of \u2062proposed legislation that would impose <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-suspends-oil-leases-in-alaskas-arctic-refuge-as-gas-prices-continue-to-rise\/\" title=\"Biden Suspends Oil Leases In Alaska\u2019s Arctic Refuge As Gas Prices Continue To Rise\">stricter environmental standards<\/a> and phase out drilling. During a press conference, Kait Schwartz, director of the American\u2062 Petroleum Institute Colorado, expressed concerns about the harmful impact \u200bthese ideas \u200ccould have\u2062 on the state&#8217;s economy \u2064and the \u200benvironment.<\/p>\n<h3>Proposed Bills and Their Impact<\/h3>\n<p>Two\u2064 Senate \u200bbills, 24-165 and 24-166, aim to tighten emission rules, enforce air quality standards, and impose penalties. Additionally, the state would establish reduction targets for vehicle miles \u2064traveled \u2062in certain areas\u200b and develop policies to assist metropolitan planning organizations in meeting these targets. Another \u2063bill, Senate Bill 24-159, introduced\u200b last week, seeks to\u2064 end the issuance of new oil and gas permits by 2030, \u200dreduce the\u2064 number of permits for new wells, and require new permits\u2064 issued after 2024 to cease operations by 2032.<\/p>\n<h3>Fighting Against\u2064 the Legislation<\/h3>\n<p>Dan\u2064 Haley,\u2064 president and CEO \u200cof the Colorado Oil and Gas \u200dAssociation, emphasized the need to fight against these bills and protect \u200cColoradans from\u2062 the potential increase\u2062 in energy costs. \u200bHe highlighted\u2063 the importance of the U.S. as a global producer of oil and \u200bnatural\u200b gas and emphasized that decisions made in Colorado have far-reaching consequences.<\/p>\n<p>Haley urged the Democrats who introduced the bills to consider the advice of Colorado\u200c Democrat U.S. Senator Michael \u200cBennett, who criticized President\u2062 Joe Biden&#8217;s proposed ban on energy \u2064exports. Haley also reminded them of the impact of natural gas prices during \u200dRussia&#8217;s \u200dinvasion of \u2064Ukraine.<\/p>\n<h3>Concerns About the \u200cBusiness Climate<\/h3>\n<p>J.J. Ament, president and CEO of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, expressed concerns about the \u200cnegative\u2064 impact the proposed legislation could have on Colorado&#8217;s business climate. He argued that public policy should be based\u200d on \u200ca\u200c thorough cost-and-benefit analysis.<\/p>\n<h3>Industry&#8217;s Commitment to Environmental Goals<\/h3>\n<p>The \u200cindustry representatives emphasized that they\u200c have been working with the state to achieve various environmental goals. Sara Blackhurst, president and CEO of Action Colorado, highlighted Colorado&#8217;s high standards \u200dand the industry&#8217;s continuous efforts to exceed \u2063goals. She emphasized\u2064 that every time a goal is set, it is met\u200d and surpassed.<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> Why do industry representatives believe \u200dthat stricter environmental standards, such as increased setbacks for oil and gas operations, are\u200b unnecessary?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  \u2062And 24-187,\u2064 are currently being\u200d discussed \u200bin the Colorado legislature. Bill 24-165 proposes increasing\u2064 setbacks for \u2063oil and gas \u200doperations from \u200dhomes, schools, and other\u2064 occupied structures, while Bill \u200d24-187 aims \u200bto phase \u200dout oil and gas drilling in the state\u200c altogether by 2023.\u200d These bills have raised serious concerns among business leaders\u2063 and industry\u2063 representatives, who argue that they will have devastating consequences for Colorado&#8217;s economy and\u200c the\u2062 well-being of its residents.<\/p>\n<p>One of the \u2062<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/oan-obtains-letter-from-doj-trying-to-stop-ariz-audit\/\" title=\"OAN obtains letter from DOJ trying to stop Ariz. audit\">main issues raised<\/a>\u200b by business leaders is the potential loss of \u200cjobs and revenue. The petroleum and \u200bnatural gas industries are\u2062 major \u200dcontributors to\u2063 Colorado&#8217;s economy, providing thousands of jobs and \u200cgenerating significant tax revenue for the state. If these bills were to pass, it is\u200b estimated that thousands of jobs would be lost and the state would suffer a significant economic blow.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to the economic impact, industry representatives also argue\u200d that stricter environmental \u2064standards are unnecessary.\u200c They claim that \u2062the current regulations\u2062 are already robust and ensure \u200dproper protection \u200dof the environment. \u200dRequiring greater setbacks for \u200boil and gas operations would limit the areas where drilling can occur, potentially hampering production and\u200c decreasing the\u2062 state&#8217;s energy independence.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, the proposal to phase out drilling completely by 2023 is seen as unrealistic and extreme. Business leaders argue that oil and gas will continue to \u2062be important\u200c sources of energy for the foreseeable future, and that a sudden \u2062shift away from\u2062 these industries would be disruptive and harmful to \u200cboth the state and\u2062 the country as a \u2062whole.<\/p>\n<h3>Call for \u200ca Balanced Approach<\/h3>\n<p>While business \u200bleaders and industry representatives are not opposed to \u200benvironmental protection, they believe that the proposed \u2063legislation \u2063goes too far. They argue \u200bthat a more balanced approach is needed, one that takes into consideration both the importance of protecting the environment\u200c and the need \u2063for economic growth\u200c and energy security.<\/p>\n<p>Instead of\u2063 imposing stricter \u2063setbacks and phasing out drilling, industry representatives have proposed \u2063alternative\u200d solutions that would allow for continued oil and gas production while also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/us-oil-prices-top-90-a-barrel-for-the-first-time-this-year-sparking-inflation-worries\/\" title=\"US oil prices hit  per barrel, raising concerns about inflation.\">addressing environmental concerns<\/a>. These include\u2063 investments in technologies to reduce emissions, implementing rigorous monitoring and reporting requirements,\u2064 and working collaboratively with the state to develop\u2063 effective\u200d regulations that strike a\u2062 balance between environmental protection \u2062and\u2063 economic growth.<\/p>\n<p>Business leaders and industry representatives\u2064 are \u2064committed to being responsible stewards of the environment and ensuring \u200bthe \u2064<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/nasa-accuses-china-of-failing-to-clean-up-space-junk-after-rocket-careens-back-to-earth\/\" title=\"NASA Accuses China Of Failing To Clean Up Space Junk After Rocket Careens Back To Earth\">long-term sustainability<\/a> of Colorado&#8217;s natural resources. They believe that through collaboration and\u2062 innovation, it is\u2062 possible\u2062 to find solutions that benefit both the environment and the economy.<\/p>\n<h3>In Conclusion<\/h3>\n<p>The \u2063proposed legislation in Colorado to impose stricter environmental standards and phase out drilling has\u2062 been met with strong\u2064 opposition from business \u200cleaders and industry representatives. They argue that these bills would \u2062have severe economic consequences and are\u200c unnecessary given the current regulations in place. Instead, they advocate for a balanced approach that prioritizes both environmental protection \u200cand economic growth. \u2063By working\u2063 together and investing in innovation, it\u200c is possible to\u200c find solutions that benefit all parties involved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Business leaders in Colorado, along with petroleum and natural gas industry leaders, strongly oppose new legislation that imposes stricter environmental standards and aims to phase out drilling. These measures include banning development in 50% of the state for industries requiring air permits and implementing tracking and limiting measures<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2186550,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/AP23152071728581-scaled.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2186549","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/AP23152071728581-scaled.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2186549","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2186549"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2186549\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2186550"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2186549"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2186549"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2186549"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}