Here’s what the oil and natural gas industry currently means to the state of Colorado:

• $20.5 billion contributed to the economy.
• $10.2 billion contributed to labor income.
• More than 161,000 jobs provided or supported by the industry – with an average salary for non-gas station oil and natural gas employees of nearly $98,000.

Sound good? This is better – with smart energy development and the right tax policies, the industry could mean this for Colorado:

• An additional 61,131 jobs created by 2015 and 88,283 by 2020.
• An average of $233 million in new, additional revenue for the state, generated by the industry every year through 2030.

That’s enough to pay for the state’s general fund contribution to the operating budgets of 12 of 22 departments every year – withou... more »

Great post on The Hill’s Congress Blog by API’s Emily Kennedy, bringing attention to another vast U.S. resource: oil shale.

This is oil derived from sedimentary rock that contains a solid material (kerogen) that converts to liquid oil when heated. We’ve got enormous deposits in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming, with estimates that up to 800 billion barrels could be recoverable – almost three times Saudi Arabia’s proven oil reserves. Kennedy:

“The president is right: an all-of-the-above approach is the best path for securing America’s energy future. In oil shale, the United States has another vast energy resource that can’t be dismissed – one that would be best developed by industry and the marketplace, guided by clear policies and a stable regulatory regime.”

The front page of The Washington Post today bears the headline, "Recession is officially over, but anxiety lingers." The headline is based on an announcement by the National Bureau of Economic Research which yesterday proclaimed that the recession, which began in December 2007, met its technical end in June 2009.

Many Americans don't agree with the bureau's assessment. A Fox News survey says 88 percent of Americans believe the recession is still underway. In Grand Junction, Colo., for example, where the unemployment rate has mirrored the national jobless figure, many residents are feeling battered by job losses and over-regulation by the state and federal governments. Several residents volunteered to share their economic stories on video tape during a recent Rally for Jobs:

In Canton,... more »

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar today announced the imposition of new regulatory hurdles that could slow or prohibit drilling for oil and natural gas on energy-rich federal lands.

In what has become increasingly familiar double-talk from this administration, Sec. Salazar spoke of the importance of domestic oil and natural gas, while making it more difficult to produce this oil and gas, put more Americans back to work and help restore our nation's economy.

Under the guise of offering certainty for investors, Sec. Salazar has taken steps to further delay and limit American energy resources for all Americans.

Since Salazar has taken his position, revenues from federal onshore oil and gas leasing in the five states that make up the Inter-Mountain West (Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Utah and Wy... more »

It's always interesting to see how politicians use different words to describe the same thing. For example, some members of Congress call the Waxman-Markey bill that narrowly passed in the House an energy bill, while others call it a climate bill. In truth, it is a tax bill that, according to studies, threatens to sharply raise gasoline and diesel fuel costs as well as eliminate millions of jobs.

Now a new poll suggests that once registered voters focus on the potential impact of a Waxman-Markey type bill, about two-thirds oppose it. The poll, conducted by Harris Interactive in several states, shows that 65 percent of voters in New Mexico oppose the bill, along with 67 percent of voters in North Carolina, 63 percent of voters in Ohio, and 62 percent of voters in Texas. In each state, only... more »