Colorado Petroleum Council Executive Director Tracee Bentley Responds to Colorado Supreme Court Ruling in Martinez v. Colorado Oil & Gas Conservation Commission

DENVER, January 14, 2019 – Colorado Petroleum Council Executive Director Tracee Bentley provided the following statement in response to the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision in Martinez v. Colorado Oil & Gas Conservation Commission:

“Today’s outcome is positive for all Coloradans. The court was right to deny a single out-of-state interest group – one that advocates for ending all energy development across the country – the ability to rewrite our state’s laws. This attempt to advance their extreme agenda into other states and against other industries would have put hundreds of thousands out of work and drain state and local coffers for education and other basic services.

“This case has dragged on for over five years and it’s time to focus on uniting to encourage energy development in the United States, and, specifically, in Colorado. We are confident in Colorado’s energy future and the ability of the Colorado natural gas and oil industry’s ability to continue to reshape the global energy balance, fueling an American manufacturing revival and leading the world in environmental progress.”

API and the State of Colorado petitioned the high court for review of the case last year.

The Colorado Petroleum Council is a division of API, which represents all segments of America’s oil and natural gas industry. Our more than 600 members produce, process and distribute most of the nation’s energy. The industry supports more than ten million U.S. jobs and is backed by a growing grassroots movement of millions of Americans. API was formed in 1919 as a standards-setting organization. In our first 100 years, API has developed more than 700 standards to enhance operational and environmental safety, efficiency and sustainability.