Following the passage of Senate Bill 181, Democrats declared the war against oil and gas over. The only problem is that someone forgot to tell local governments. Since the bill passed seven jurisdictions have passed moratoria on oil and gas development, including the latest moratorium in Broomfield, which imposed a six-month ban on energy development in the town.
The moratoria at the state and local levels are pushed by radical environmental groups like 350.org founded by Bill McKibben and funded by controversial organizations like the Tides Foundation, which is often used as a clearinghouse for liberal grantmaking. Read: The Tides Foundation is a way to keep donors anonymous and grant recipients secret.
The Broomfield ban comes after 350.org requested that the COGCC impose 2,500-foot setbacks, the entire gist of Proposition 112, which voters resoundly rejected just six months ago. In response, Dan Gibbs, chief of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, noted that lawmakers never intended for regulators to stop issuing drilling permits while they implement SB181, according to the Greeley Tribune.
The truth is that Democrats in the state legislature passed Senate Bill 181, giving Colorado towns the authority to do almost whatever they wanted regarding oil and gas development with a wink and a nod. That Democrats are claiming that this isn’t what they meant now is pretty disingenuous. This is exactly what they thought would happen.