Hickenlooper’s Energy Hypocrisy

Hickenlooper Said He Will Be Happy To Embrace “99 Percent” Of The Green New Deal

: During A February 2019 Town Hall In New Hampshire, Hickenlooper Said “I’m Going To Guess That 90 Percent, Or 95 Percent, 99 Percent Of What’s In The Green New Deal I Will Be Happy To Embrace.” HICKENLOOPER: “I have not had a chance to go through everything in the Green New Deal, but I do think that we have to support the notion that we have to have some way of organizing young people and all people, as I say kids of all ages, the time for action is now. And what are those first five things that we focus on. I would argue that methane, doing what we did in Colorado globally should be one of those top five things. At least the version I saw it wasn’t mentioned in the Green New Deal for whatever reason, people come from different things. I think we need to just, again, not have a litmus test that you’re either with us or wrong, we are going to go as hard and as fast as we can, and I’m going to guess that 90 percent or 95 percent, 99 percent of what’s in the Green New Deal I will be happy to embrace.” (John Hickenlooper, Town Hall, Henniker, NH, 2/14/19)

In Response To Hickenlooper’s Green New Deal Comment, Many Were Quick To Criticize Him For Years Of Close Ties To The Oil And Gas Industry

Former Democratic State Representative Joe Salazar Called Hickenlooper A “Snollygoster” For Embracing The Green New Deal After Years Of “Fawning” Over The Oil And Gas Industry

(Joe Salazar, , 2/14/19)

NOTE: According To Merriam-Webster, A “Snollygoster” Is Defined As “A Shrewd, Unprincipled Person.” (“Snollygoster,” , Accessed 2/14/19)

Daily Beast Reporter Lachlan Markay Pointed Out That As Governor, Hickenlooper Was So Pro-Fracking That He Drank Fracking Fluid To Prove Its Safety

(Lachlan Markay, , 2/14/19)

In February 2013, Hickenlooper Told A U.S. Senate Committee That He Once Drank Fracking Fluid

In February 2013, Hickenlooper Said That He Drank A Fracking Fluid Because It Is So Safe During A Senate Hearing Testimony, And Drew The Ire Of Environmental Groups. “Gov. John Hickenlooper said media outlets took him out of context when he told a U.S. Senate committee this week that he drank hydraulic-fracturing fluid. The comments struck a nerve with environmentalists, who have become increasingly frustrated with the governor for – in their eyes – ignoring the potential pollution from the widely used technique of extracting natural gas and oil. Hickenlooper testified Tuesday to the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources about Colorado’s regulation and promotion of natural gas. He repeated a story he has told often in Colorado about meeting with Halliburton executives about a rule to require companies to disclose the chemical makeup of their frack fluids. ‘We sat down with executives from Halliburton. They have a frack fluid that’s made out of food additives. You can drink it. We did drink it around the table, almost ritual-like, in a funny way,’ Hickenlooper said. The comment drew fire from Conservation Colorado. ‘We’re astounded that Gov. Hickenlooper would use a national platform to give the impression that frack fluid is safe for public health. The industry has a track record of misleading the public about the fact that its fracking fluid contains numerous toxic chemicals,’ said Carrie Curtiss, the group’s deputy director, in a news release.” (Joe Hanel, “Gov. Defends Gulp Of Frack Fluid,” , 2/13/13)

Video Of The Testimony Can Be Found . 

Guardian Journalist David Sirota Pointed Out The Large Discrepancies Between Hickenlooper’s Climate Rhetoric And Climate Record

(David Sirota, , 2/14/19)

Despite His February 2019 Comments Regarding The Green New Deal, Hickenlooper Has A Long Record As A Supporter Of The Oil And Gas Industry

As Governor, Hickenlooper Supported Pro-Oil And Gas Policies And Initiatives

When He Was First Running For Governor In 2010, Hickenlooper Distanced Himself From The Sitting Democratic Governor’s “Excessive” Environmental Regulations And Cited His Past As A Geologist In The Oil Industry. “The newly minted Democratic candidate for governor thinks Gov. Bill Ritter’s environmental rules for the natural-gas industry are ‘excessive.’ Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper told reporters Friday he doesn’t support all of the rules adopted in 2008 by the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. ‘I think the biggest problem wasn’t necessarily where we ended up with the rules. It was how we got there,’ said Hickenlooper, who announced Thursday he is running to replace Ritter. He would have preferred a less adversarial process, he said. He said he looks forward to talking to workers in the gas and oil industry during the campaign. He once nearly lost a finger while changing pipe on an oil rig, and he knows what it’s like to be laid off in the energy industry, he said. ‘They’ll recognize that I’m coming from a very different place than Governor Ritter,’ Hickenlooper said.” (Joe Hanel, “Denver Mayor: Gas Rules Flawed,” The Durango Herald, 1/18/10)

In June 2011, Five Months After Becoming Governor, Hickenlooper Signed A Bill That Reduced Red Tape For Oil And Gas Companies In The Air-Quality Permitting Process. “Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper signed a bill into law Thursday that is expected to speed up the air-quality permitting process for oil and gas companies, manufacturing plants and other companies currently facing serious backlogs. The governor signed Senate Bill 235, sponsored by Sen. Angela Giron, D-Pueblo, in a ceremony at the Pueblo Economic Development Commission. The bill takes effect immediately. SB 235 allows the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to contract out air quality permit modeling to pre-qualified, private third-party modelers. The aim of the law is to cut down on a waiting list for such permits that can stretch on for months or even years.” (Ed Sealover, “Hickenlooper Signs Bill To Speed Air-Quality Permits For Business,” Denver Business Journal, 6/9/11)

In February 2012, Environmental Groups Attacked Hickenlooper For Saying That Drilling And Fracking Don’t Contaminate Groundwater. “Environmental groups on Monday urged Gov. John Hickenlooper to yank ads paid for by the Colorado Oil and Gas Association in which he claims there has been no contamination of groundwater associated with drilling and hydraulic fracturing. Hickenlooper’s office declined to address that request, but COGA issued a statement saying it stands by ‘our Public Service Announcements.’” (Bruce Finley, “Hickenlooper’s Spiel In Oil, Gas Ad Irks Environmentalists,” , 2/27/12)

In December 2012, Hickenlooper Sparred With Environmentalists Over His Support For Natural Gas During A Speech About Climate Change. “Gov. John Hickenlooper sparred with environmental activists Tuesday in a rare speech about climate change. Hickenlooper often talked about climate issues when he was mayor of Denver, but he has been quieter on the topic since he became governor. He spent 30 minutes Tuesday morning at a conference of the Colorado Climate Network, a group of local governments that studies ways to adjust to climate change. Acknowledging that ‘it drives some of my friends crazy,’ the Democratic governor said embracing natural gas is the only realistic way to cut American emissions of greenhouse gases. The governor took questions at the end of his talk and debated with people in the crowd. Jeff Neuman-Lee of Fossil Fuel Free Denver criticized Hickenlooper’s stance. ‘What the world needs, and what Colorado needs, is ways of moving beyond fossil fuels,’ Neuman-Lee said. ‘Sure,’ Hickenlooper said. ‘No argument. What are you going to do in the meantime?’ Environmentalists have criticized Hickenlooper’s embrace of natural gas, and especially hydraulic fracturing, which injects chemicals into wells to free the gas from tight rock formations.” (Joe Hanal, “Governor: We Should Embrace Natural Gas,” , 12/10/12)

In February 2013, Hickenlooper Said Colorado Has A Responsibility To Sue Cities That Ban Oil And Gas Development. “Environments are concerned after Gov. John Hickenlooper said Colorado has an obligation to sue Fort Collins over banning oil and gas development within its city limits. Hickenlooper says an oil and gas drilling ban takes away mineral rights of companies that own them. Environment Colorado says Hickenlooper is bowing to oil and gas companies, potentially exposing people to air pollution and toxic spills.” (“Hickenlooper Plans Lawsuit Over Drilling Bans,” , 2/28/13)

When Jared Polis Pushed Ballot Initiatives To Give Communities The Right To Ban Fracking In Their Area, Hickenlooper Sided With The Oil And Gas Industry And Urged Voters To Vote No. “One day after announcing that there won’t be a special legislative session to pass a compromise bill on the local control of oil and gas drilling, Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper stood with more than 100 industry and business leaders Thursday in opposition to two local control ballot initiatives. The press conference at the Lower Downtown offices of the Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce brought together a number of groups that supported Hickenlooper’s effort to reach a legislative compromise, including Colorado Concern and the state’s largest oil and gas operators, and those, like the American Petroleum Institute, that fought against it. The compromise was an attempt to avoid an expensive and unpredictable campaign fight over the two ballot measures, which are being supported financially by Democratic Boulder Congressman Jared Polis.” (Eli Stokols, “Hickenlooper Stands With Industry, Business Groups Against Polis’ Initiatives,” , 7/17/14)

Hickenlooper Became The First Democratic Governor To Support U.S. Crude Oil Exports. “Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper has gotten behind calls to remove the United States’ decades-long ban on exports of domestic crude oil and crude oil products, a position that could put him at odds with environmentalists and others who favor retaining the ban. The Colorado Democrat said in a letter to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker that a repeal of the export ban will encourage domestic oil companies to continue investing in U.S. operations, which have been hit hard with recent declines in the world price of oil.” (“Hickenlooper 1^st Democratic Governor To Call For U.S. Crude Oil Exports,” Denver Business Journal, 5/1/15)

Hickenlooper Has Received Over $200,000 In Campaign Contributions From The Oil And Gas Industry

Hickenlooper Has Received $228,135 From The Oil And Gas Industry During His Two Gubernatorial Campaigns

According To Follow The Money, The Oil And Gas Industry Has Contributed $228,135 To Hickenlooper’s Two Gubernatorial Campaigns. (John Hiackenlooper’s Top Industries, , Accessed 2/14/19)

(John Hickenlooper’s Top Industries, , Accessed 2/14/19)

Hickenlooper Was Investigated By The Colorado Ethics Commission For His Participation In A Conference Where Oil And Gas Executives Paid To Have Private Meetings With Hickenlooper

In April 2014, Hickenlooper Was The Center Of An Ethics Commission Investigation Into His Participation In The Aspen Conference Where Oil And Gas Executives Paid At Least $10,000 Each To Have Private Meeting With Hickenlooper. “In March, the Ethics Commission hired Acclaim Investigations to find out what happened at the Aspen conference last July, where participants — mostly oil and gas industry executives — donated at least $10,000 to take part in discussions and private dinners with Hickenlooper and a few other governors, according to the report released Monday.” (Eli Stokols, “Hickenlooper Releases Dubious Outside Ethics Probe Report,” , 4/7/14)

Oil And Gas Companies Contributed Tens Of Thousands Of Dollars To Hickenlooper’s Second Inaugural Celebration

Several Oil And Gas Companies Contributed Tens Of Thousands Of Dollars To Hickenlooper’s Second Inaugural Celebration. “A who’s who of Colorado companies and major political players are donating huge sums to pay for the celebration. Thirteen companies gave $25,000 or more and 44 donors contributed $10,000 or more to fete the governor, including two handfuls of oil and gas companies, which are closely monitoring the administration’s task force on new industry rules.” (John Frank, “Hick Begins Second Term,” The Denver Post, 1/13/15)