Capitol Coverage

As we reported yesterday, the state of Colorado is implementing an ambitious new law that seeks to radically change how it regulates its booming oil and gas industry. Governor Ritter recently signed the measure in Grand Junction It’s been a major focus of his administration’s early months. The bill is a response to growing criticism by some Garfield County landowners and conservationists who live in the midst of the drilling. They say industry is not adequately addressing resulting environmental and public health problems, in the midst of the rush to drill. The state’s new oil and gas conservation commission - the main regulatory body for industry - includes a diverse range of interests, most of whom have no ties to industry.

That has environmentalists cheering, and industry worried, as Aspen Public Radio’s Kirk Siggler reports in the second of a two part series.

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