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Poll: High gas prices drive support for drilling

By Todd Hartman, Rocky Mountain News

Published August 18, 2008 at 8:35 p.m.
Updated August 18, 2008 at 10:06 p.m.

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Coloradans, like many Americans, like to heap scorn on oil and gas companies. Even so, they appear to back more drilling in the state, believing it will cut gas prices and dependence on foreign oil.

Those are the conflicting findings of a Rocky Mountain News/ CBS 4 News poll of 500 registered voters conducted Aug. 11-13, reflecting the two minds voters bring to the questions, pollsters said.

On one hand, the 66 percent of Coloradans who have unfavorable impressions of oil and gas companies are angry about high gas prices and the record profits enjoyed by energy companies, said pollster Lori Weigel of Public Opinion Strategies, which conducted the poll.

On the other, 57 percent of respondents were concerned there will be too little oil and natural gas development in Colorado.

"People want lower gas prices," said pollster Craig Hughes, director of research of RBI Strategies and Research, who consulted on the survey. "They think the easiest way to do that is to increase drilling."

Weigel's firm generally polls for Republican candidates, while Hughes' generally works with Democratic candidates.

The survey comes at a time when energy companies have assumed a high profile in Colorado amid the state's natural gas boom, which has seen a tripling of state permits to drill for fossil fuels — to beyond 6,000 a year — since 2003.

The industry is also at the center of two major public policy debates in the state:

The state agency charged with regulating oil and gas development is considering a major overhaul of environmental rules that govern how, when and where wells are drilled. Deliberations on the proposed rules begin today before the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission.

And voters in November will consider a ballot initiative, supported by Gov. Bill Ritter, that would eliminate a property tax credit for the industry, generating some $300 million a year to be used for college scholarships, as well as wildlife, renewable energy and infrastructure projects.

Weigel cautioned that while 57 percent of respondents are concerned about too little drilling, the number needs "a big asterisk" because there is "massive distinction" by region, she said.

On the Western Slope, for example, where drilling activities have accelerated most visibly, people are more evenly divided.

"People who are at ground zero of energy development are much more divided on that specific issue," Weigel said.

Weigel said the poll also found that people in the metro area, and in other areas where there's little obvious presence of energy drilling, "have no concept of the oil and gas development that's taking place" around towns such as Rifle and Durango.

Meg Collins of the Colorado Oil & Gas Association, a trade group, said the high unfavorable ratings in the poll show the industry needs to do "a better job of educating people in the states we do business, so they understand the contributions the industry makes and have a more balanced picture of the industry."

She believes the stronger backing for more drilling is tied to the public's concerns about an over-reliance on foreign energy sources, often from countries unfriendly to the United States. "We put the nation at risk," she said.

But Duke Cox, an activist with the Western Colorado Congress and a home builder, said the poll results show the oil and gas industry has succeeded in "misleading the public" into believing that more drilling in Colorado will lower costs.

"The price of oil is based on a worldwide market. It has nothing to do with how much we drill Colorado," said Cox, accurately noting that Colorado is a far greater source of natural gas than oil.

As for natural gas, industry critics note that new pipelines running outside the state and opening Colorado's supply to new markets have led to major price increases — a point the industry concedes.

Natural gas prices have spiraled up, environmentalists point out, even though drilling in Colorado has increased three-fold in five years.

Comments

  • August 18, 2008

    10:25 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    mmannino writes:

    I am surprised that the public can make the connection between increased supply and lower costs. The Democratic Oil Blockade is starting to develop a few leaks. I wonder if it will break. I see another round of Democratic demonization of the oil and natural gas industries to try to change public opinion.

    The public should also make the connection between energy development in Colorado and prosperity. The potential of responsible energy development in Colorado is large. However, the Democrats are blocking energy development with delusions of an oil free world. Democrats will not even allow regulations about energy development. The Democrats really have an open mind about energy development. It is either the Democrat way or no way.

  • August 18, 2008

    10:32 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    Cliffjumper writes:

    Wow! who could believe that increasing the supply would lower costs and keep money in the State? Amazing that we actually have to draw an illustration for liberals on this. Maybe they can wait to go anywhere while we complete the development of alternative fuels. It would be nice not to have to see them on the roads.

  • August 18, 2008

    10:52 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    wendy writes:

    My understanding is that approving offshore drilling today wouldn't affect the price of gasoline until about 2018, and then only minimally because the amount produced would be a drop in the bucket on the world market. What I don't understand is why politicians and the press are pandering to people's emotions, rather than educating them about the realities of what offshore drilling can actually achieve.

  • August 19, 2008

    12:36 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    dukeco1 writes:

    Wendy,

    Look to the massive campaign by "the people of the oil and gas industry" who apparently have enough money to run advertising on every channel at practically every commercial break. That sort of "short message" saturation works. The industry has spent hundreds of millions of dollars convincing Americans who only pay marginal attention that we can somehow affect prices by giving more wealth to the industry(more leases). Not true.

    I have a question for the Republican legislators that keep shouting, "drill more now". With what? Where are all the stacked out rigs, waiting to go to work? Where are the trained workers sitting around ready to scramble out and get to it? Where are the pipelines? You know the answer. There aren't any.

    Every drilling rig that is servicable is working and booked solid. The industry can't find enough help. My nephews in the patch are working 80 hours a week. Every one of the industry reps that reported at this months' Garfield County Energy Advisory Board meeting, told of how they are waiting for new rigs to put in the field as soon as they can get them. Wise up, folks. You are being mislead. Again.

  • August 19, 2008

    3:06 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    me2 writes:

    The Roan development is natural gas, not petroleum. Are there any petroleum producing areas in this state right now? I will take a short trip to Google on this.

    Please read Duco1 and realize that there is a shortage of rigs, with the worst ones available at around 3 mil. Check out Geo times ad section for used rigs.

    The Roan development is all along the Colorado river on land that supported sage brush and not much more till irrigation came along. Some wells are on the river ledges, misnamed mesas. There isn't anything in the scenic areas. When the drill rigs leave eventually the sage will regrow. But this is a natural gas field, not an oil field.

    We are not going to solve our petroleum problems with more natural gas.

    As much as I love the petroleum industry for what it has done for me and my friends, I have to tell you that they have s*ckered you all for years.

    Die, censor computer program, die!