Giving just 24-hour notice (the minimum required), the Adams County Commissioners last night voted unanimously to ban oil and gas development for six months as the legislature shoves local control measures through the state. The vote came as the testimony from Coloradans was overwhelmingly pro-oil and gas industry. We’d love to spend another 150 words on how wrong Adams County Commissioners are, but we’ll turn it over to the nonpartisan 9News’ Kyle Clark, who does a fine job here.
Oh, and in case you were wondering, we were right that SB19-181 was a de facto ban on oil and gas development. In fact, the language of the moratorium referenced 181 several times. That’s awkward, especially for the Democrat leadership in the legislature, which claimed that they did not intend for this to be a ban on oil and gas.
Adams County Commissioners should be ashamed of themselves for trying to destroy the jobs of their constituents, but even more ashamed for laughing at the people who showed up to give testimony in defense of their way of life.