Colorado Petroleum Council Executive Director, Tracee Bentley, has said that Colorado is a national leader not only in producing oil and natural gas but also in protecting the environment.
"As the seventh largest producer of oil and natural gas in the country, a collaborative, successful regulatory process is a major part of the state's environmental and economic success. By enabling greater production of clean-burning natural gas, hydraulic fracturing contributes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. As a result, the United States is leading the world in reducing carbon emissions which are near 20 year lows.
"Activists with the backing of extreme interest groups from outside the state ignore those facts as they pursue a nonsensical and economy destroying political agenda. But, for Colorado residents, achieving environmental protection with economic security is not about politics. It's about our daily life and livelihood, and preserving the land where we live and work. When it comes to responsible and safe energy development, Colorado has a proven record, and we'll continue to build upon that legacy."
The oil and natural gas industry in Colorado supports more than 200 000 jobs and provided over US$26 billion in state economic activity and US$1.6 billion in revenue to the state in 2012 alone. School districts in Colorado also received nearly US$202 million from oil and gas production property taxes in 2012.
The Colorado Petroleum Council is a division of API, which represents all segments of America's oil and natural gas industry. Its more than 625 members include large integrated companies, as well as exploration and production, refining, marketing, pipeline, and marine businesses, and service and supply firms. They provide most of the nation's energy and are backed by a growing grassroots movement of more than 30 million Americans.