Activists Use Worn Out Tactics to Call for Statewide Oil and Gas Moratorium in Colorado
William Allison, Energy in Depth, May 15, 2019
A small, fringe group of “Keep It In the Ground” activists spoke out at a government meeting today using worn out tactics to push their campaign to end all oil and natural gas development in Colorado. The stakeholder meeting, the first public meeting hosted by the Colorado Oil & Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) since the passage of SB 181, begins the rulemaking process that will govern new production in the state. But despite Gov. Jared Polis declaring the oil and gas wars are “over,” and the industry looking for clarity and stability, activist groups that never took part in the legislative process are now intent on blocking new development by slowing down the rulemaking process.
A Race Against the Carbon Clock
Barclay’s, May 2019
Barclay’s has identified three scenarios that correspond to differing degrees of carbon reduction over the next few decades. Each scenario reflects varying degrees of government action and technological innovation aimed at reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
Trump’s EPA shifts more environmental enforcement to states
Ellen Knickmeyer, AP, May 20, 2019
Susan Holmes’ home, corner store and roadside beef jerky stand are right off Oklahoma Highway 31, putting them in the path of trucks hauling ash and waste from a power plant that burns the high-sulfur coal mined near this small town. For years, when Bokoshe residents were outside, the powdery ash blowing from the trucks and the ash dump on the edge of town would “kind of engulf you,” Holmes said. “They drove by, and you just couldn’t breathe.” Over three decades, the ash dump grew into a hill five stories high. Townspeople regard the Environmental Protection Agency as the only source of serious environmental enforcement. Whenever people took their worries about ash-contaminated air and water to state lawmakers and regulators, “none of them cared,” Holmes said.
From today’s Washington Examiner, Daily on Energy:
POLL SHOWS REPUBLICAN SUPPORT FOR CARBON TAX PLAN: A poll released Monday by the firm Luntz Global — led by Republican consultant Frank Luntz — shows 2-1 support among GOP voters for the Climate Leadership Council’s carbon tax and dividend plan.
Fifty-three percent of Republican voters support the carbon dividends approach, compared with 80% of Democrats. The GOP support is more pronounced in younger people, with 75% of Republicans under 40 years old backing the proposal. Sixty-nine percent of Republicans polled said they are concerned the party’s stance on climate change hurts the GOP with younger voters.
The poll also shows that 43% of Republican voters are more concerned about climate change than they were a year ago, compared with 74% of Democrats.
Luntz Global conducted the online poll of 1,000 voters this month.
