“Y U No Like Me?”

Between eco-extremist Tom Steyer’s personal crusade against the Keystone XL pipeline and far-left liberal Rep. Jared Polis’ quest to ban fracking, the Colorado oil and gas industry has quickly become a focal point for this election cycle.  For the average Coloradan, supporting our domestic oil and gas industry is a no-brainer.  A study from the Leeds School of Business at CU estimates a fracking ban would hurt Colorado’s economy to the tune of $12 billion, while getting rid of 93,000 good-paying, Colorado jobs.  It goes without saying, it’s vital Colorado gets it right when it comes to oil and gas.  With this election cycle being so important for them, it’s no surprise that when it comes to who the Colorado oil and gas industry backs in our Senate race, it definitely isn’t Sen. Mark Udall.

In an illuminating piece by The Wall Street Journal, Amy Harder shows how quickly the oil and gas industry abandoned Udall after he climbed into bed with Steyer:

After initially supporting incumbent Sen. Mark Udall (D., Colo.), through the first quarter of this year, oil and natural gas companies have since overwhelmingly supported his challenger, Rep.Cory Gardner (R., Colo.), over Mr. Udall.

… Since Mr. Gardner entered the Senate race, the oil and gas industry has been pouring money into Mr. Gardner’s campaign. Between the first and second quarters, the industry gave $223,600 to Mr. Gardner and just $41,460 to Mr. Udall, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

Harder goes on to report that two of the biggest oil and gas companies in Colorado, Noble Energy and Anadarko Petroleum, overwhelmingly support Gardner over Udall.  This is hardly a surprise as Udall’s constant ‘no’ votes on the Keystone XL pipeline, coupled with his refusal to take a definite stance on Polis’ fracking bans until just recently, shows he is not a friend to Colorado’s energy sector, which has brought so many good paying jobs to Colorado.  Unlike Udall, not everyone is rich enough to live in the reality-absent, utopian-bubble that is Boulder.  Udall’s ability to favor far-left, environmental causes no matter the costs to Colorado’s economy is a luxury the average Coloradan can’t afford.

So far, the Colorado oil and gas industry has done a magnificent job working with the legislature to craft commonsense reforms and regulations; it’s a shame that despite this hard-earned record, Udall still looks at them with weary eyes.  Gardner better represents the moderate ways of Colorado, where we can find a sensible balance between enjoying nature while also fostering a robust economy.  Udall’s reluctance to sign on to this balance just demonstrates how much he is better suited to go live in a remote, off-the-grid, mountain cabin, than represent us pragmatic Coloradans in Washington D.C.  Fortunately for him, come November, he can do just such a thing.