Radical environmentalists as extreme activists in the culture of complaint are used to having their way at public hearings.
Unfortunately, the public hearing segment in front of the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission was heavily attended by people who either work directly in the oil and gas industry or heavily impacted by the economy it generates.
Since this is the majority of the people in Western Colorado it should be no surprise there are a lot of interested people -- but since these folks usually don't feel it is too seemly to complain, they have a tendency not to show up to meetings where a lot of that is going on. In this situation where they rightly recognized that there was an attempt to remove their personal incomes and their countries security; they came.
There was some representation of the other side, many natural fibers and unkempt hair were on display and even a few surly bicyclists churned around the building, menacingly glaring at the large white trucks. Luckily these paladins of mother Earth were securely clipped into their bicycle pedals or boy, I'm telling you, they would have given some of those truck drivers the frowning of their life.
There was even some snarky comments in the local press, implying that these people were there on a paid basis: from the Grand Junction Free Press --
"Duke Cox, the former interim executive director of the Western Colorado Congress who spoke only for himself on this occasion, was the first one to speak in favor of the proposed rules after about 25 speakers. He said that he was probably the only person “not paid to be here.”
That's a merry messages isn't it? I actually was thinking that of the people present the most likely to be paid were the executive directors of environmental organizations.
The turnout was impressive and it might be enough to spook politicians trying to curry favor with well-funded environmental groups on the front Range into thinking about how their constituents make a living.
I can say one thing with certainty -- judging by the attempt of some in the media and elsewhere to defend the proposed rules and the politicians that animated them: it must've scared somebody
