Polis signs oil, gas bill; Sonnenberg, Pelton make late push

    Gov. Jared Polis has signed Senate Bill 181, the controversial bill that changes the state’s regulatory mission for oil and gas.
    In signing the bill on April 16, Polis said he believed the law would end the oil and gas wars, although even bill supporters said that war rages on with little end in sight.
    Those opposed to the law — claiming it will destroy the oil and gas industry — filed for a ballot measure for 2020 to repeal the law, and the law also has led several groups to begin efforts to recall Polis and lawmakers who voted for it.
    The new law changes the mission of the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission from an advocate for the industry to a body that puts health and safety first. That change also includes new membership: the commission will lose two experts on oil and gas, to be replaced with an expert on the environment and another on public health.
    Senate Bill 181 also allows local governments to be involved in regulatory decisions regarding oil and gas activity, no different than any other land use decision, Polis said during the signing ceremony.

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