Our eyes usually glaze over when political press releases touting some random award, benign vote, or the annual committee assignments are issued, but this announcement caused our jaws to slam into the keyboard and projectile vomit all over the computer screen.
We captured a screenshot of the horrible, terrible, no good, very bad thing. It read:
“Pol mended to in House ural ources Committee”
Scrape our breakfast off the screen and it essentially says that U.S. Rep. Jared Polis, yes, that one, has been recommended to the House Natural Resources Committee.
That sound you now hear is the collective scream of the entire western United States of America. Except for Oregon. And Aspen.
If you thought Polis was a pain in the a$$ leading the charge to ban fracking in Colorado, just wait till you see the power he will now try to lord over recreation and the entire energy industry.
The committee has tremendous control over Colorado’s economy, specifically the development of oil, gas and mineral extraction on public lands as well as our lucrative tourism industry.
In short, with Polis on the panel, we are doomed.
When greenies lead the charge to add some random, well-adjusted creature to the endangered species list just to block resource development, expect to see Polis leading the charge.
Need to take away people’s private property rights? Polis is your guy. And water? Circle the wagons!
Read it and weep:
“As the representative for a district that is composed of 62 percent federal lands, I’m always concerned with ensuring there is strong
Washingtonlocal input into the administration of these lands,” Polis said in his press release.“As a member of the Natural Resources Committee, I can better support skiers, mountain bikers, hikers, sportsmen, snowmobilers, off-roaders, and others who enjoy our outdoor Colorado lifestyle as well as help generate new jobs in the outdoor recreation economy. The House Natural Resources Committee offers an excellent platform to work across the aisle to advocate for the continued protection of our state’s open spaces and to continue the discussion on how to responsibly access our domestic energy resources.”
Quick history lesson for the kiddies, when potentates of public land are in the pocket of environmental groups, their first scam is to say they support backcountry access for skiers, mountain bikers, sportsmen, snowmobilers and the like.
Then they turn it into a wilderness area to block access. Sometimes, they just go straight for the jugular, as the Summit County Voice explains:
A languishing proposal to create new wilderness areas in the Colorado mountains may get a boost in Congress this year, as U.S. Rep. Jared Polis (CO-02) joins the House Natural Resources Committee.
In the last two years, the committee has been a bastion of anti-government rhetoric, in some cases considering bills that would significantly weaken protection for natural resources and public lands. As a member of the minority, Polis won’t be able to get any meaningful legislation passed on his own, but his pro-environmental voice will be a welcome addition for public lands advocates.
Thank God for small favors.