Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter has picked five new members for the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC), fulfilling a campaign promise to increase and broaden the representation and pool of experience of the panel that oversees the state’s energy development.

Ritter plugged in representatives of environmental organizations and landowners, bringing the commission’s membership to eight. The governor promised he would appoint the ninth and last member in the next two weeks.

The governor’s office noted that newly appointed commissioners still need to be confirmed by the state Senate. New COGCC commissioners are:

New commissioners will serve alongside Commissioners Harris Sherman, executive director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources; and Jim Martin, executive director of the Department of Public Health and Environment and Commissioner. Both Sherman and Martin are members of the governor’s cabinet.

In addition, current COGCC Commissioner Kimberlee Gerhardt, a consulting geologist from Durango, will continue to serve. She is a holdover member who was appointed about two years ago.

Gerhardt and newly appointed Epel both have ties with oil and gas, and the remaining appointment will be someone who is in the energy industry, said Greg Schnacke, a spokesman for the Colorado Oil and Gas Association.

Although Ritter’s office said the governor will make an appointment within the next two weeks, Schnacke told NGI that he’s not so sure the governor is “under any statutory obligation to have the person in place prior to an upcoming meeting. Under this [current] scenario he has a quorum” for the meeting scheduled July 23-24.

Schnacke is certain that due to the reworking of the panel, “there will be more diverse viewpoints.” He told NGI that the “COGCC is the only agency within state government that is solely focused on one industry.” Because of the highly technical nature of the oil and gas industry, “there will clearly be a lot of reliance on staff expertise,” said Schnacke.

Schnacke forecast that COGCC’s next step will be to “embark on statutory rulemaking that will get into wildlife protection and public health issues.” He added, “There is a lot of work ahead for this group. We just hope we don’t get into a situation where there is agenda advocacy, if you will.”

Lance Astrella, a Denver-based private attorney who represents landowners in Rocky Mountain split estate issues, believes the reorganization of the commission was made to create a balance. Astrella told NGI that the energy industry members of the COGCC “are good people and they serve as volunteers and all come from the same background.” He said “the balance [of the new commission] is good and will hopefully bring a good perspective. It will help minimize friction between landowners and environmental groups on one hand and the oil industry on the other.” Landowners who have experienced problems “will sense they have some representation on the commission,” said Astrella.

In late May Ritter signed into law Colorado HB 1341, which increased the COGCC’s membership from seven to nine and altered the mission of the agency so that it would consider public health, safety, environmental and wildlife issues in relation to development of the state’s oil and gas natural resources. The reorganization also decreased oil and gas industry representation from five seats to three seats.

Ritter pushed for changes that aim to balance oil and gas development with preservation of the environment. “We can create an energy future for our state and our nation that is built on the best available technology and does not come at the expense of our environmental future,” said Ritter.

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