It’s hard to imagine Gov. John Hickenlooper equivocating on the direction of an important case regarding oil and gas regulation in the state if recent deadly explosions near Firestone and Mead hadn’t scrambled conventional thinking on the matter.

Hickenlooper can’t run for re-election. One would think that fact would embolden him to take a stand on how the state’s oil and gas commission does its job. Instead, he’s mired in political quicksand and waffling in his response to a recent court ruling that could dramatically change the way Colorado regulates the state’s oil and gas industry.

First, some background: The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission rejected a rulemaking request by six youths who want oil and gas development suspended until it can be shown it wouldn’t harm the public or environment or contribute to climate change. The Colorado Court of Appeals ruled that the COGCC used an errant rationale in rejecting the request.

Read more at The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel.