Gubernatorial candidate John Hickenlooper is toughening his rhetoric regarding oil and gas regulations in Colorado and deflecting criticism that he's flip-flopping on the issue.
The Denver Mayor and former oil industry geologist has faced criticism in the past from environmentalists--and from the current Democratic governor--for making comments that appeared to side with the energy companies against stricter oil and gas regulations that took effect in 2009.
In particular, many members of the Democratic base were incensed by comments the mayor made to the South Metro Chamber of Commerce.
Hickenlooper then described the new regulations as "flawed," saying "the environmentalists went way overboard, I think, and pushed very hard -- I shouldn't say overboard, I'll get myself in trouble -- but they pushed very hard for certain things they thought were very important."
However, in a Sunday editorial for the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, Hickenlooper expressed his support for the regulations, which were enacted by Governor Bill Ritter after months of public debate.
Hickenlooper wrote that scrapping the new regulations, as his likely Republican opponent, Scott McInnis, has said he would do, "would be a mistake:"
In general, the state rules include the best practices of the oil and gas industry. Both of my opponents want to rewrite the rules, but that would be a mistake. I would not throw out or roll back rules regulating oil and gas extraction in our state. Looking back would only reduce the predictability businesses need to operate successfully and undermine protections for our health and environment.
I learned from running small businesses that there is always room for improvement in any enterprise, and the same is certainly true in government. The current rules allow the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission to examine and modify regulations as issues arise. I have heard from several operators that there are opportunities to cut red tape or tailor regulations for specific basins. As governor, I would encourage the commission to carefully consider these specific concerns and explore ways to address them, so long as protecting our health and environment remains paramount.
The editorial, coupled with statements made earlier this week at an energy forum earlier this week (viewable below), prompted accusations from McInnis that Hickenlooper is doing an about-face on the issue. McInnis spokesman Sean Duffy told the Denver Post that the views Hickenlooper articulated at the forum were "the fourth variation of his position."
In an interview with the Colorado Independent, Hickenlooper defended his consistency on the issue, saying "I do think that some of the rule making went too far. I do think that some of them can not be applied statewide, but I never said I wanted to repeal them."
WATCH HICKENLOOPER'S INTERVIEW:
WATCH MCINNIS'S INTERVIEW: