Democrats have now shown their hand, and it’s on video, and it’s a straight flush. SB-181 will be a tool to effectively ban energy development in key Colorado municipalities.
Democratic former State Representative Joe Salazar, broadcasting a webcast Q&A from somewhere in the State Capitol complex, foolishly revealed the intent of SB-181, and it was just as many expected, a license for municipalities to effectively ban oil and gas development within their jurisdictions. Don’t worry, actual elected officials swear up and down that This. Is. Not. A. Ban. Except that it is.
Speaking to anyone bored enough to tune in, Salazar explained that there is nothing in the bill that says municipalities can or cannot ban, but it does allow towns to “adopt regulations that are extremely stringent that have to be rationally related to the protection of health, safety, and the environment, that might serve as an effective ban.”
Salazar went on to say “there are many tools in here [the bill] that could result in that [a ban].”
One of the women working for Salazar in the video then shows a video clip on her personal cell phone of a third party discussing the bill. That person describes it as having “some useful elements that may have some stealth qualities to them once this is passed.”
Watch for yourselves, PeakNation™:
So there you have it. In case anyone wasn’t sure, SB-181 is a “stealth” law designed to accomplish what voters rejected in 2018, a ban on oil and gas development across key areas of the state.