Colorado accounts for 4% of the nation’s crude oil production and ranked seventh in natural gas production. Oil and natural gas production employed 27,900 Coloradans in 2020. The industry boomed over the last decade, bolstering Colorado’s economy. But the pandemic saw a drastic drop in the price of crude oil which resulted in layoffs across Colorado and nationwide.
Activists, residents and lawmakers have made various attempts to prevent the expansion of oil and natural gas extraction and protect the health of their communities and the overall environment.
On Feb. 26, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 803—the Protecting America’s Wilderness and Public Lands Act—in a 227 to 200 vote that was generally along party lines. Only eight Republican representatives voted in favor. The bill faces the Senate next where its fate is uncertain.
Two sections of the bill were previously written and introduced by Colorado representatives. Denver’s Democratic representative, Diana DeGette, wrote the Colorado Wilderness Act. This section of H.R. 803 will give the federal government control of nearly 660,000 acres of public land in Colorado. The new legislation includes the Colorado Outdoor Recreation and Economy (CORE) Act, crafted by Senators Bennet and Hickenlooper and Representative Neguse. CORE restricts oil and gas extraction on 400,000 acres of existing federal land throughout the state.
Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District encompasses most of the land targeted by H.R. 803. The district’s representative Lauren Boebert argued against the proposed bill. She claimed it was “an extreme package that will kill jobs, limit outdoor recreation, prevent public access, exacerbate wildfire challenges, stifle responsible energy production and lockup three million acres of public land.” Boebert and other Republicans asserted that the bill was an overreach of federal powers. The bill is likely to face similar criticisms when it reaches the Senate.
Representative DeGette said, “Colorado is known for its treasured landscapes and abundance of natural resources. Protecting our public lands is not only essential to our state’s overall economy, it’s essential to preserving our renowned way of life,” in a statement.
Oil and gas extraction has been linked with negative health effects for people that live in the surrounding areas, according to a 2019 study. Air pollution has become increasingly concerning in Denver as smog becomes more common. If passed, H.R. 803 would restrict the creation of new oil and gas extraction sites on public lands, decreasing the amount of pollution being put into the air.
Additionally, oil and gas extraction are disruptive to natural habitats. Ecosystems can be damaged or even permanently altered by industrial development and pollution. The bill seeks to protect them by prohibiting extraction on federal lands in the state.
Colorado is currently home to four National Parks and 11 National Forests. The language in the bill is focused on shielding existing lands from natural gas and oil extraction in hopes of protecting natural habitats and other public lands from industrial development and pollution. Much of the current federal land is in higher altitude areas, and the new bill would expand federal lands into lower-lying areas.
It is uncertain whether the bill will pass the Senate or not. The vote fell almost entirely along party lines in the House, and could similarly be rejected by Senate Republicans and approved by Democrats. If the bill does pass the Senate, it seems likely to win Biden’s support in his attempt to protect 30% of U.S. land by 2030.
