Colorado’s Senate State Affairs Committee rightly rejected Senate Bill 48, which would have allowed local elected officials to ban energy development and prevent minerals owners from accessing their private property. Sen. Matt Jones, who is also running for Boulder County Commissioner this year, tried to say this was simply about giving local elected officials zoning authority like they would any other issue.

Unfortunately, his pitch for the bill, which I testified against, was soon forgotten as a trove of Boulder County residents testified against all forms of energy extraction. The hearing included a who’s who of national environmental groups such as Food and Water Watch,350.org, Be the Change, Earthworks and others focused on their leave-it-in-the-ground ideology.

Sadly, the supporters of SB 48 were undeterred about the economic realities and the jobs supported by the oil and natural gas industry. Even Sen. Jones attempted to minimize the economic impact by saying many of the hundreds of thousands of jobs provided by this industry were gas station jobs. While actually wrong on the facts, Jones’ comments smack of elitism as if these jobs weren’t worthy of protection.

To be clear, the average home price in Jones’ district exceeds $1 million, which certainly limits the vast majority of Colorado’s employees. Luckily, those on the Senate State Affairs Committee stood up for the many Colorado families across the state who rely on this industry for a steady paycheck and affordable energy.

Nick Kliebenstein Front Range Energy Alliance Broomfield

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