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Bradford to COGCC: ‘Go away’
Republican House District 55 candidate Laura Bradford told a Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce forum today she would like to see the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission “go away.”
“I will work with the other legislators, Sen. (Josh) Penry and Rep (Steve) King, in doing everything we can to either put new people on that board or to have them render decisions immediately in the next few weeks and then go away,” Bradford said. “We’ll call them back another year. This is not the time to rock any boat in this economy.”
That, however, is a curious position for someone wanting to boost energy production and the energy industry in Colorado: The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission issues the permits that allow companies to start drilling.
According to the panel’s Web site, one of the commission’s objectives is to: “Expedite the processing of oil and gas well drilling, recompletion and disposal/enhanced recovery well permit applications.” (emphasis added)
Sure, the nine-member panel and its ongoing rule-making process have garnered the ill will of the “drill, baby, drill” crowd, but to shut down the commission for a year would, well, get in the way of energy development.
During his time to address the forum, state Rep. Bernie Buescher, D-Grand Junction, pledged to review the rules the panel is expected to put out this year and to work to change anything unbalanced or that could cripple the state’s thriving energy industry.
*Bradford photo from The Daily Sentinel archives.
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