COLORADO FRACKING FOLLOW UP

When is politics not politics?  

Never.

A follow up to our recent post "Fractured Fracking" in Colorado where two anti-fracking measures were set to go on the November ballot have come under question by two of the state's most powerful Democrats, Governor John Hickenlooper (D) and Representative Jared Polis (D).

The possible deal is about re-election not about the environment or energy independence. As we noted in our earlier post both Hickenlooper and U.S. Senator Mark Udal (D) face re-elections. And fracking for all its suspected ills has helped drive economic growth, according to today's Wall Street Journal. 

That's another way of saying jobs, consumer consumption and all those things that make folks feel better and get in incumbents re-elected. 

For his part Rep. Polis aligned with the anti-fracking environmental crowd. So it's a political game of Hickenlooper-Udal versus Polis-environmentlists. The issue is not lost on Hickenlooper's and Udal's opponents. 

The pro-fracking people countered with their own ballot initiative, "which would withhold oil and gas revenue from communities that tried to limit energy development." So the drill bit, as one might put it, has been honed. This is a pocketbook issue, most likely the only one that ever gets the attention of political hacks.

Fracking in Colorado in the last few years has increased more than 20% and oil production more than doubled, no small items to the state coffer. Now Hickenlooper--supposedly a supporter of fracking, at least during election season-- is pressuring Polis to drop his anti-fracking measures if the industry and its backers would do likewise.

It's a nice feud, one that can expose elected officials for the hypocrites they are. This is about leverage, the winds of change. Pro-fracking people would be wise not to agree to the offer. If they do so now, it will be to their chagrin later.

Once re-elected it will be open season on the fracking industry. You might not want to trust in a higher deity, but putting any trust in politicians is a first-degree fool's errand.