These Are The Task Force Recommendations We’ve Been Waiting For?

Yesterday, Governor Hickenlooper's esteemed task force on oil and gas development announced their recommendations. After months of discussions, deliberations, controversy and compromise, the task force was able to get the required votes for a grand total of 9 recommendations. Unfortunately, the results of their efforts as reflected in the recommendations are underwhelming, to say the least, or, as the co-chair of the task force said, "a big disappointment."

To be fair, no one should have expected groundbreaking resolution to some of the biggest issues relating to oil and gas development in the state. At the same, though, several task force members noted that the two biggest issues – the location of drilling facilities and local authority over oil and gas operations – were completely unaddressed by the recommendations.