Daily Sentinel, Rocky articles on energy panel uncritically repeated oil and gas industry talking points

Summary: In March 17 and 18 articles about state Senate confirmation of Gov. Bill Ritter's nominees to the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, The Daily Sentinel of Grand Junction and the Rocky Mountain News reported unsubstantiated assertions supporting the energy industry's opposition to some members of the panel and to changes in state drilling regulations.

Articles in the Rocky Mountain News and The Daily Sentinel of Grand Junction about state Senate confirmation of Gov. Bill Ritter's nominees to the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission reported unsubstantiated assertions supportive of oil and gas industry opposition to changes in the state's regulatory environment and to the commission's makeup.

In a March 18 article by Chris Barge about the previous day's Senate confirmation vote, the News reported the unattributed assertion that Sen. Chris Romer (D-Denver) "mollified environmentalists who previously wanted to drive the industry out through a citizen ballot initiative." The News provided no information to support its statement that any environmental groups "wanted to drive the industry out through a citizen ballot initiative." Similarly, a March 17 online Daily Sentinel article headlined "GOP legislators blast picks for gas board" uncritically quoted state Sen. Greg Brophy (R-Wray) asserting that Colorado is "observing oil and gas companies voting with their wheels," adding, "They're moving over to Kansas and Nebraska right now." But the article identified no companies that have taken those steps, and it did not report that Brophy named any.

As the Associated Press reported on March 17, "A divided Senate approved the governor's appointments to the newly reorganized Oil and Gas Conservation Commission on Monday, with Republicans arguing that at least two of them could vote to severely restrict production, leading to higher energy prices." The AP further reported, "All 15 of the Senate's Republicans voted against environmental consultant Richard Alward of Grand Junction and Garfield County commissioner Tresi Houpt."

In its March 18 article, the News reported that Romer "promised his colleagues ... that Colorado's oil boom would continue with the new commissioners on board and mollified environmentalists who previously wanted to drive the industry out through a citizen ballot initiative." The News did not identify which environmentalists or environmental group had entertained such a goal.

From the March 18 article "Senate OKs controversial oil, gas panel appointees" by Chris Barge of the Rocky Mountain News:

On a party-line vote, the Senate voted 20-15 to confirm Garfield County Commissioner Tresi Houpt and Richard Alward, a Grand Junction environmental consultant and ecologist. Both are Democrats and were characterized by Republican senators as hostile to the oil and gas industry.

Democrats joined Ritter in saying the nominees brought balance and expertise to a commission that previously was represented only by oil and gas industry interests, at the expense of environmental and wildlife concerns.

But Sen. Greg Brophy, R-Wray, said the nominees were like foxes in a henhouse and would drive the industry out of the state at a time when the nation teeters on recession.

"With oil now topping $110 a barrel, we need every BTU we can get our hands on," Brophy said, adding that Colorado is "there already" when it comes to environmental protection.

Sen. Chris Romer, D-Denver, promised his colleagues, however, that Colorado's oil boom would continue with the new commissioners on board and mollified environmentalists who previously wanted to drive the industry out through a citizen ballot initiative.

In contrast, the AP reported Romer's comments to his colleagues without suggesting or asserting that "environmentalists ... wanted to drive the [energy] industry out":

While Sen. Gail Schwartz, D-Snowmass, said the commission needs someone like Houpt who "stands up in a strong way" for communities where drilling is occurring, other Democrats weren't as emphatic.

Sen. Jim Isgar, D-Hesperus, said he didn't necessarily agree with all of Haupt's positions. Sen. Chris Romer, D-Denver, said serving on a commission responsible for making decisions affecting a $23 billion-a-year industry would probably have a "moderating" effect on Houpt. He said Ritter may have appointed Houpt as a way of appeasing critics of oil and gas development, who could have mounted a ballot initiative this year to restrict production.

"Sometimes what governors need is to bring an opponent into the tent to avoid a worse outcome," Romer said.

Ritter spokesman Evan Dreyer wouldn't comment directly on that but said, taken as a whole, the appointments reflect balance and diversity of viewpoints on the industry. He said Houpt had an understanding of how communities are impacted by oil and gas and contributes to that balance.

In its article on the confirmation votes, the Daily Sentinel reported that "Republican lawmakers ominously warned of home 'heating bills as high as mortgages' " and prefaced a direct quote from Brophy with the statement that he "and his peers warned" that the nominations of Alward and Houpt "send the wrong message to the state's oil and gas industry."

From The Daily Sentinel of Grand Junction's March 17 online article "GOP legislators blast picks for gas board":

Republican lawmakers ominously warned of home "heating bills as high as mortgages" as they vigorously and unsuccessfully opposed a handful of Gov. Bill Ritter's nominees to the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission.

The Senate confirmed six of the governor's nominees to the recently reorganized commission Monday despite protests from some, including Sen. Greg Brophy, R-Wray, that Ritter's nominees could use the regulatory body to beleaguer Colorado's burgeoning energy industry.

The confirmation votes for Grand Junction ecologist Richard Alward and Garfield County Commissioner Tresi Houpt split along party lines as Brophy and his peers warned that their nominations send the wrong message to the state's oil and gas industry.

"We are observing oil and gas companies voting with their wheels," Brophy said. "They're moving over to Kansas and Nebraska right now."

The Daily Sentinel did not identify any companies that, according to Brophy's claim, are "moving to Kansas and Nebraska right now." Colorado Media Matters similarly noted that in a March 5 online article, the Daily Sentinel uncritically reported Republican state Rep. Cory Gardner's (Yuma) assertion that he had heard "uncertainty about forthcoming rules for issuing drilling permits has pushed [energy companies] to shift their business to Kansas and Nebraska," but did not identify any companies that have done so and did not quote Gardner as identifying any.

Colorado Media Matters also pointed out that on January 23, the Daily Sentinel reported energy industry officials who met with the newspaper's editorial board claimed that the commission's "pre-draft rulemaking proposal" could "force them to look outside Colorado for business."

—E.B.