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Tom Savage of Colorado Springs writes:

This morning, I’m reading about how Bill Ritter and Ken Salazar decided to ask the feds to exempt the Vermillion Basin from oil/gas drilling, in spite of 12-years of work by the Moffat County Commissioners to ensure this source of badly needed revenue.
Their unilateral action sounded like a double cross. So, I wondered, how many other of the governor’s constituencies has he double crossed so far in his first term?
Let’s see, first it was the Catholics, with his eager approval of a bill to restore funding to Planned Parenthood for the promotion of abortion. Next it was the business community with his on-the-fence attitude about a bill that would have restored a union-shop bias to Colorado’s labor market. Surprisingly, he could not bring himself to such a blatant betrayal so early in his term; but another opportunity will come next year. Then it was the oil and gas industry with the expansion of the state oil/gas commission and the packing thereof with anti-industry activists.
Now it’s the people of Colorado who, suffering from high prices for all forms of energy, are being told by Ritter/Salazar that the solution to high prices caused by supply shortages is - stop drilling. I’m thinking - how stupid is that? Then I notice the caption under the photo of Ritter and Salazar strapping themselves into a helicopter, which says that Ritter had a “spiritual experience” while looking over the Vermillion Basin. Remember Jerry Brown, Governor of California back in the seventies? Well, we can now lay claim to our own Governor Moonbeam. A true visionary. But don’t try to heat your house next winter with any of his visions.

This letter has not been edited.

READER COMMENTS

Man, you are kind of clueless. 50,000 wells are coming to western Colorado over the next 15 years, and Ritter/Salazar want to "stop drilling"? I mean, in what universe can such a blatant over-generalization and mis-representation be claimed as fact? Oh I get, you're from "the Springs."

Thanks to these two liberal morons, the energy-rich Roan and Vermillion are now "out of bounds" and so are their multi-billion dollar tax revenue streams to Colorado. So much for "energy independence."

Let's watch the 64 endangered Colorado bridges crumble right under our butts and kill a few hundred citizens and see these two idiots scream that we didn't have the money to fix the busted bridges. I hope these two imbeciles managed to put $5 at the pump "out of bounds" too.

These two clowns need to find their flying saucer and return from the planet from which they just landed. Jerks!

Please be gentle with the gov, he has a very acute gastro-intestinal disorder, NO GUTS.

where do the unions fit in on workers who do the drilling?

I love the rants of ignorant right-wingers. Oil prices will remain high despite supply. It is greed not economics.

'multi billion dollar revenue stream'? what the hell are you smoking? where can i get some of that?

the amount that the oil and gas interest groups put out there is $1 billion in bonus leasing revenue, and that is way high (based on $40000 an acre bonus bid, an amount that no BLM acre has ever brought, average in the area for BLM leases is $220/acre). Total revenue from top of Roan Plateau over the next twenty years (if BLM plan to drill goes forward) 1% of total GarCo o&g revenue over that period (according to BLM). SO before you spout off and repeat verbatim what someone told you, how about you look at the numbers and speak from a position of knowledge rather than ignorance.

I love the rants of ignoramuses like sw. Oil prices remain high because of demand. People are still willing to pay the current prices. Where does the greed come in? Because people are willing to take drivers' money? Is that the same as you taking money for your product or service (if you do anything that is)? It is the commodity traders who set the short term price fluctuations you see at the pumps. The distributer charges per what it costs to refill his tanks ,according to market prices and futures.
AF

Funny how Ritter and Salazar have not publicly indicated when they plan to fix the 64 broken bridges in Colorado. I guess they are too busy taking helicopter rides to moonscapes and having religious experiences that only serve block the tax revenues from the energy-rich Roan and Vermillion.

After a couple of these shaky bridges tumble and take a few citizens along with them, watch both Ritter and Salazar scream that "Colorado simply didn't have the money to fix the problems." And as for energy independence and national security..."Let them eat corn!"

Hey Oliver,

Since this is Mexico, is it legal for US companies to drill there? Got to respect those borders!

B-b-b-b-u-t, it was a "spiritual" moment that got our two esteemed public officials to trounce on the work and dreams of the local residents without even consulting them.

Spiritual trumps human endeavors.

CA

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