Can't buy me love....for the oil and gas industry
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Categories: Environment / Conservation, Smart Energy Policy, Effective & Ethical Government
Categories: Environment / Conservation, Smart Energy Policy, Effective & Ethical Government
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.
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.
