The Ritter campaign released a statement today highlighting Bob Beauprez’s recent co-sponsoring and vote on the Deep Ocean Energy Resource Act.
We’ll let the Junction Daily Blog explain to you, from an actually Western Sloper, just how horrible this bill Beauprez sponsored is:
The most troublesome provision directs the BLM to approve drilling permit applications within 10 days or pay a fine to the energy companies. Considering all the controversy about drilling in our watersheds at the risk of poisoning our water, do you want less study or more when it comes to approving those permits? I think if you live in Western Colorado and you happen to drink water, you’d probably want more study. But that’s not what Beauprez voted for.
The other troublesome provision all but eliminates royalties on oil shale development until the companies are making money. There are at least two problems with that. First of all, we need our share of the royalties. With energy development comes increasing demand for water, roads, schools, and all the other infrastructure that Western Colorado needs to accommodate population growth. Royalties pay the tab for that infrastructure. We don’t just need those royalties, we need them up front while the population growth is occurring, not at the tail end when projects are mature.
As the Ritter campaign aptly points out:
“The Congressman proudly claims to be a supporter of local control,” Ritter said. “Yet he just voted for a measure that hurts local communities. He claims nobody from local government contacted him beforehand to express concerns. But this was not a big secret. Newspaper editorials, environmental groups and other members of Colorado’s congressional delegation all sounded alarms. The Congressman very clearly was not listening to the people of Western Colorado.
Not to mention, the actual Western Slope Congressfolk–Udall and Salazar–voted against Both Way’s hand-out to Big Oil.
Ritter continues:
“Once again, the congressman is trying to have it both ways,” Ritter said. “He did it last week by flip-flopping on Amendment 38 and he’s doing it again on this. If this is how he represents Colorado in Congress, what will he do as governor?”
What will he do? Sell us out to Big Oil, just like the Rubberstamp Bush Republican he is.
Hey ColoradoLib, methinks you need to add another notch in the “Both Ways Bob” list…
