Democratic fissures over energy development are beginning to show. Last weekend, Democratic Senators Mary Hodge and Lois Tochtrop penned a column in the Durango Herald that smacks Congressman Jared Polis’s proposals to ban oil and gas development whenever and wherever he can.

From Hodge and Tochtrop:

“… some in the public discourse have lost sight of the vital role gas and oil plays in a balanced energy policy, and the unequivocal fact that Colorado has passed – and continues to develop – the toughest, most comprehensive and environmentally protective energy regulations in the country.

“Meanwhile, others too quickly gloss over the fact that even in this new-energy economy, we need clean-burning natural gas as back-up for those times when the wind doesn’t blow and the sun doesn’t shine. Still others seem prone to ignore the reality that more than 100,000 hard-working Coloradans rely on the gas-and-oil sector to put food on the table, put kids through school and save for retirement.”

“If we refuse to see the vital benefits of responsible gas development, we won’t. If we can continue to produce natural gas safely – and if natural gas is the cleanest, most effective form of back-up power for wind and solar – why on Earth wouldn’t we embrace a sensible approach to natural-gas development in this state? The truth is, we should and we are.”

Polis may be the richest man in the Democratic Party, but Hodge and Tochtrop don’t seem impressed.  The pro-fracking wing of the Democratic Party is growing.  Various national outlets, like ABC News, reported that unions are jumping on the train also.

“The shale became a lifesaver and a lifeline for a lot of working families,” said Dennis Martire, the mid-Atlantic regional manager for the Laborers’ International Union, or LIUNA, which represents workers in numerous construction trades.

Enviros are cringing, and we bet Mark Udall is also.