Sitting Colorado Governor Flacks for Fracking in Ad for Oil & Gas Industry

Despite recently passing some of the nation’s strongest laws regulating hydraulic fracturing, Colorado governor John Hickenlooper, a Democrat, has taken to directly stumping for the controversial process—while still sitting in office.

Colorado’s fracking laws are now among the toughest on the books. They require companies engaging in the process to disclose not just the chemical cocktails they’re blasting into the ground, but the concentrations of each. So some state residents were flummoxed to hear the governor publicly endorse fracking in an unlikely venue: a radio ad paid for by the state’s oil and gas industry.

Republic Report has the transcript (emphasis theirs):

HICKENLOOPER: This is Governor John Hickenlooper. In 2008, Colorado passed tough oil and gas rules. Since then, we have not had one instance of groundwater contamination associated with drilling and hydraulic fracking. And we plan to keep it that way. That’s why Colorado recently passed the toughest and fairest hydraulic fracturing disclosure rule in the nation. In Colorado, we’ve proven that industry and the conservation community can come together to solve problems. We can create jobs, promote energy security, and protect our environment. Brought to you by the Colorado Oil Gas Association.

The report also points out that the spot is under attack for being misleading, as there are in reality numerous complaints of accidental spillage and contamination brought about by fracking in the state.

But what’s perhaps more disconcerting than any inaccurate politi-speak (which of course tumbles forth from the mouthes of politicians as casually as standard exhalations) is the willingness of a governor to shill for a particular industry outright while still sitting in office. Conflict of interest, anyone?

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