Progress Now Action

With thousands of wells drilled and thousands more planned, no wonder the oil-and-gas industry has a big interest in the Garfield County commissioner races. Two seats are up for contention and if Democrats finally get a majority after 24 years of political drought, there could be big changes concerning impact fees, managing man camps, and monitoring drilling activities especially in regards to water and air pollution.

The Post Independent reported that over $45,000 has been spent by outside interests to influence the outcome of the GarCo commissioner races. In one example, Paul Rady, the chief executive officer of Antero Resources Corp, a company drilling in GarCo, donated $20,000 to Western Heritage, one of the 527 committees spearheading media campaigns in support of the Republican candidates.

GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colorado - Five groups from outside Garfield County have spent about $45,700 in the last two months to sway voters in this year's two county commissioner races.

State campaign finance reports, court documents and local advertising rate cards show that three of the outside groups have connections to the several active state GOP members.

Those people include the Colorado Republican Party's outside legal counsel, the chief of staff for former congressman Scott McInnis, and a Republican political consultant with ties to several state organizations. The groups supporting the Democratic candidates are a Montana-based environmental coalition, which includes Grand Junction-based Western Colorado Congress, and a Denver-based left-leaning organization.

The money flooding the two races comes as many state officials see Garfield County as the epicenter of energy development in Colorado.

Republican Larry McCown is vacating his seat after 12 years and former county judge Steve Carter, a Democrat and Republican Mike Samson, a school administrator, are vying for the open seat. Both live in Rifle.

Democrat Steve Bershenyi, a blacksmith and artist, is challenging Republican John Martin, who is seeking his fourth term. Trési Houpt, a Democrat, is not up for re-election this year.

Both Democratic commissioner candidates have promised tighter regulations for the oil and gas industry in Garfield County and want to enact impact fees to help pay for industry impacts on roads and local services. Houpt, who is also member of the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, has been often silenced by a 2-to-1 vote on oil-and-gas issues.

Martin was the swing vote to approve a $23 million tax credit for Chevron to reimburse the expense of rebuilding County Road 204 to their gas fields, a plan some locals have dubbed, "The Road to Nowhere." The funds could come out of the severance tax revenues given to the county to mitigate drilling impacts, about seven year's worth, if the two Republican commissioners have their way. Last spring, Martin and McCown also approved a variance in the county planning and zoning regulations that allows oil-and-gas man camps of eight men or less on private property without the owner's consent, an infringement on private property rights some landowners have claimed.

Both Carter and Bershenyi have received help from environmental groups concerned with oil and gas development. The Western Organization of Resource Councils (WORC), a Billings, Mont.-based environmental and advocacy group, has spent about $13,550 in support of the Democratic candidates.

Ballot returns and early voting in Garfield County have been very slow, perhaps a sign that there are still a lot of undecided voters in this battleground.

References: http://www.postindependent.com/article/20081027/VALLEYNEWS/110279991/1083&ParentProfile=1074&title=Garfield%20County%20races%20see%20about%20$46K%20of%20outside%20money

http://www.postindependent.com/article/20081026/VALLEYNEWS/810258690&SearchID=73334238374511&parentprofile=search

Like hundreds of thousands of Americans, I've been trying to figure out what this Wall Street financial crisis will mean to the average person on Main Street. It's hard to plow through the financial technical gobbledygook and make sense of it. However, after watching Congress, the Bush Administration and treasury officials, and the talking heads on TV, it looks like I'm not alone.

So, after days of reading, research, and such, I've come up with a simple analogy to describe what happened to us:

The largest and most expensive poker party in the world

The dealers: Republican-controlled Congress and the White House
The players: Wall Street and Washington bankers, lobbyists, politicians, investment companies, stockbrokers, special interests, hedge funders, insurance firms and such
The house: Taxpayers
House rules: None

Taxpayers put up the stake for the players of this Wall Street poker game through investments in retirement funds, real estate, savings accounts, stocks, credit card lines, and other financial assets to the tune of nearly $3 trillion dollars.

When there were game rules, players were limited to sure bets on their hand. Through deregulation under a decade-long Republican-controlled Congress (thank you, Sen. John McCain) and a two-termed Bush-Cheney Administration, the dealers stacked the deck against the house in favor of the players. Under-the-table pay-offs were made and hidden aces were ignored in exchange for unlimited bet ceilings, made-up wild-card mortgage games, and most importantly, to allow paper IOU's.

Whenever there was house cash on the table, it was quickly pocketed for executive golden parachutes, bonuses, bribes, bottom lines, and such until all the house funds were gone. For years the poker players were exchanging IOU's around the table, adding a few zeros to the end of the past dues until they ran out of paper. Last week, the poker game had to be suspended.

Now, the players and the dealers seek more money from the house to get the game rolling again. To start, the players and dealers not only want the house to buy up the worthless IOU's for $700 billion or more, they want us to throw a signed blank check on the table -- without any court or congressional oversight -- for good measure, too. And no, the trillions we are eventually going to be asked to pay won't cover our losses; our tax money is to cover the players' losses.

The dealers still can't tell us what the new rules are, if any, but we are suppose to trust them to run a clean game this time. However, the dealers insist we allow the players to continue the same betting practices for the good of the world and our pensions. AND now the players can legally exchange bad IOU's for house cash -- no more underhanded deals needed anymore! Just put it all on the taxpayer's tab.

Double or nothing. With a couple of trillion dollars-worth of financial assets already in the players' wallets and purses, do we give them more of our future earnings and assets and hand over our children's bank accounts in hopes that the players will get a few good hands in this Wall Street poker game winning back our lost money? Or do we say "stop," cut our losses, and start all over again?

Unfortunately, we are in a no-win situation. The house is sunk either way. Frankly, I'd rather give up a lot today and stop the game than continue to give the gamblers a chance to lose everything tomorrow. (And if tomorrow is today, the lights are off anyway.)

The only winning hand we are going to get this year is at the ballot box. It's our one chance to throw the dealers and players out of the game and ban them from the casino.


References:
http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/JubaksJournal/HowWallStreetGotIntoThisMess.aspx?page=3

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/22/dirty-secret-of-the-bailo_n_128294.html

http://thinkprogress.org/wonkroom/2008/09/20/economists-blame-gramm/

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/16/AR2008091603732.html?hpid=topnews

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/22/dirty-secret-of-the-bailo_n_128294.html

Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin, Sen. John McCain's pick for V.P., announced on Sunday that her 17-year old daughter was five months along in an unplanned pregnancy. A wedding is pending with the father. The McCain campaign acknowledged they knew of this Palin family situation before asking her to join the Republican ticket.

For most families, having a teen-aged pregnant daughter would be a very private discourse. Instead, Palin has chosen to subject her daughter to national media attention and public discussion.

With her decision to put fame before family, and campaigns before privacy, has Palin given us insight into her true character as a politician -- and a mother?

References: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080901/pl_nm/usa_politics_palin_dc_5

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080902/ap_on_el_pr/cvn_palin_4

Publically calling upon God for Bible-thumping rain during Barack Obama's speech on Thursday night may have landed Focus on the Family, a Colorado Springs religious organization, into hot water with the Big Guy.

Earlier this month, Stuart Shepard, who is FOF's digital media director, called upon his congregation to pray for rain of "biblical proportions" at the Mile High stadium for the closing of the Democratic Convention.

However, the current Denver weather report calls for sun. Lots of it.

Yet perhaps God didn't want Shepard's congregational prayers to go unanswered during this presidential election.

Hurricane Gustuv is brewing in the Gulf and may hit the coastline just in time for the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina...and President George Bush's speech at the Republican National Convention on Monday. Another possible hurricane is lining up to make a U.S. landfall later in the week.

Better watch what you pray for next time, oh ye Focus on the Family flock. Apparently, God was not amused with your previous request.


References: medhttp://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/aug/11/focus-action-pulls-video-asking-people-pray-rain-b/

http://www.coloradoindependent.com/4891/stuart-shepard-rocky-mountain-news-put-colorado-on-olbermanns-map/

Republican presidential candidate John McCain has been under fire from all political sides in Colorado about his stance on reopening the 1922 Colorado River water agreement with downstream states - like his home state of Arizona. So, with the help of Sen. Wayne Allard, McCain tried to explain yesterday that he didn't mean to say what he said about taking Colorado's water. If anyone should remember the old-fashioned saying, "Closing the barn doors after the horses have left," it should be Grampa McCain.

In the letter to Allard, which was released to reporter Mike Saccone at the Grand Junction Sentinel, McCain claimed his comments were "misconstrued."
http://www.gjsentinel.com/hp/content/news/stories/2008/08/20/082108_1b_McCain_letter.html

In Washington-speak that means, "The media is at fault for publishing what I said." That excuse may work with the Beltway Boys, but out here in the West, McCain's double-talk sounds more like a horse trader who acts surprised when his horse is found lame.

Last week, Republican presidential candidate John McCain said he wanted more of Colorado's water for downstream users like his home state of Arizona. Editorials, Colorado leaders like Sen. Ken Salazar and Congressman Mark Udall, both Democratic and Republican local officials, and well, just about everyone else in Colorado pretty much said: "Hey, McCain: Over our dead bodies…."

Everyone, that is, except Club 20.

Club 20, which boasts itself as the "Voice of Western Colorado," has been very vocal about the benefits of the oil and gas industry and is quick to come to the draw to defend it against proposed rules and regs. However, it's not natural gas that runs the engine in the West, it's water. One would think Club 20 would at least mumble about McCain's proposal to steal more water away from the Western Slope, but there has been nothing but silence coming from the 50+ year old organization.

Does that have something to do with Big Oil supporting McCain's campaign?

If Club 20 is unwilling to defend Western Slope water for whatever political reason, maybe it's time for the Western Slope to start up another organization that will.

Did you know that President Bush has spent one-third of his presidency on vacation? CNN commentary Jack Cafferty compared Bush with McCain in his column today and came up with this conclusion: McCain will be more of the same.

As an example of McCain = Bush, Cafferty noted the 72-year old Republican candidate limits his campaign events to one a day and takes weekends off. (Yeah, just like my grandpa used to do with chores around the house.) He also said that McCain lacks the intellect to run a nation.

From Cafferty's column: http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/08/18/cafferty.mccain/index.html?eref=rss_politics

John McCain graduated 894th in a class of 899 at the Naval Academy at Annapolis. His father and grandfather were four star admirals in the Navy. Some have suggested that might have played a role in McCain being admitted. His academic record was awful. And it shows over and over again whenever McCain is called upon to think on his feet.

He no longer allows reporters unfettered access to him aboard the "Straight Talk Express" for a reason. He simply makes too many mistakes. Unless he's reciting talking points or reading from notes or a TelePrompTer, John McCain is lost. He can drop bon mots at a bowling alley or diner -- short glib responses that get a chuckle, but beyond that McCain gets in over his head very quickly.

Hit the link, Cafferty's column will make you think.

Let's see, if you divide $114 million dollars for natural gas leases on the Roan Plateau by 55,000 acres, it averages out to $2,100 an acre. The life of the wells could last for at least 20 years or more, so that brings the cost down for energy companies to $100 or less a year per acre. If it roughly takes about a year's worth of production to pay for all the costs, taxes, etc. during the lifetime of the well that still leaves another 19+ years of almost pure profit for private enterprises.

So, as with so many gas leases before the Roan, Americans like you and me get shafted by giving away all this precious wildlife habitat, clean water resources, wilderness and such -- in addition to the oil and gas underneath our public lands. Then, we pay out of our back pockets exorbitant prices for the oil and gas to use in our homes, autos and businesses. Now who in the hell ever thought this scenario was fair?

Wouldn't it make sense that instead of letting energy companies get all the cash from our publicly owned resources and paying pennies to gobble up and destroy our precious lands and coastal waters, we should nationalize energy production and put the profit back to the public coffers instead? Heck, we'll just hire the energy companies to drill it for us. Then, fire sales on environmental sensitive and irreplaceable places like the Roan Plateau will at least have some value to the American public, instead of to the profit margins of a select few.

Here's a way to change politics in Mesa County, once one of the state's more conservative areas: buy the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel newspaper.

On Wednesday, Jim Kennedy, Cox Enterprises chairman and chief executive, announced the company was selling the Daily Sentinel and its other newspaper holdings in North Carolina and Texas "as part of an ongoing strategic review of our portfolio and enables us to maintain our strong and stable financial performance by further paying down debt." Meaning, in non-biz wiz-words, Daily Sentinel profits have been declining so Cox wants to dump it.

There were warnings that something was amiss. In July, the Daily Sentinel's new publisher Alex Taylor -- and great-grandson of the Cox Enterprise founder -- put the kibosh on plans to build a new facility. And it has been no secret, noting that Denver may soon be a one-paper town, that the newspaper industry in general has been blindsided by the Internet.

However, let's go back to how Republican fortunes could change in Mesa County should the Daily Sentinel fall into the wrong, or should we say, "left" hands. Certainly, over the years, the Daily Sentinel has well served its conservative political base. Yet overnight, attitudes have begun to change in Mesa County ("drill anywhere, drill forever" probably had something to do with it…) leaving the Daily Sentinel and its conservative venue -- and revenue -- stuck in a rut.

It will be interesting to see if the new owner(s) recognize that conservative and pro-industry stances no longer reflect the local readership nor help the bottom line in Western Colorado.

More on the Cox sale: http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2008/08/13/8_13_www_GJSentinel_sale.html

In a recent survey about how state voters feel about the oil and gas development, it looks like the recent multi-million dollar advertising campaign didn't buy a lot of goodwill for The Industry.

The survey, conducted by RBI Strategy and Research last month, asked voters to rate the oil and gas industry in Colorado. According to the poll, 40% of the respondents statewide viewed The Industry very unfavorably compared to 20% in the opposite corner. (See the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel article here: http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2008/08/12/081308_1b_oil_gas_polling.html )

On the Western Slope where most the new drilling has occurred and where most of the negative impacts on the environment, water and air are felt, a whopping 60% of the voters surveyed had a very to somewhat unfavorable attitude towards oil and gas development compared to 35% of those voters who like to be drilled here, now and often.

Since spring, The Industry has poured millions of dollars into a campaign against new regulations considered by the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC). Some of these new rules would direct oil and gas companies to line their chemical waste pits to prevent seepage into the ground water table and oblige them to notify health officials about the dangerous chemical compounds used in drilling methods. The Industry has also donated millions of dollars to the campaign to fight Amendment 113, a proposal that would eliminate the special severance tax write-offs and generate over $300 million to higher education, transportation, and to communities dealing with drilling impacts.

Probably not lost on Coloradan voters, oil companies have also announced record profits this year -- on top of record profits made in previous years. Looking at the results of the poll, perhaps The Industry's threat about leaving Colorado because of the new COGCC proposed rules that would protect health and safety haven't seemed to resonate in the voters' mind. And Colorado voters don't appear to be sympathetic to The Industry's whine about losing tax breaks either.

Now if the millions of dollars had been spent towards more environmentally sensitive drilling practices and community projects instead of hot-air advertising campaigns, perhaps survey results would have faired better for The Industry.