Reporting on an August 18 news conference regarding energy development on the Western Slope's Roan Plateau, Grand Junction CBS affiliate KREX News Channel 5 on August 20 featured comments from three Republican lawmakers, but provided no Democratic perspectives or response. In addition to interviewing Republican Mesa County Commissioner Craig Meis, News Channel 5 aired video clips of U.S. Sen. Wayne Allard (CO) and state Sen. Josh Penry (Fruita). But News Channel 5 included no remarks from Democratic lawmakers who have been actively involved in the issue, including Colorado U.S. Reps. John Salazar and Mark Udall, U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar, and Gov. Bill Ritter.

According to News Channel 5 News at Noon anchor Sarah Brodhead, "[T]wo Colorado politicians are trying to figure out a balanced plan for energy development on the Roan Plateau." She added, “Senators Wayne Allard and Josh Penry held a press conference to discuss exactly what they say is a responsible approach.” Brodhead's report included comments from Penry asserting that the Roan Plateau contains "[n]ine trillion cubic feet [of] natural gas reserve[s]," and that "[w]e just don't have the luxury of walking away." The report further noted Allard's contention that his plan for the Roan Plateau represents “the open-mindedness that needs to happen if we're gonna meet the energy needs of this country and be less dependent on foreign oil.”

Following Penry and Allard's comments, News Channel 5 featured an extensive interview with Meis. An advocate of drilling for natural gas on the Roan, Meis has acknowledged that he has “over 15 years experience in the energy industry.” But anchor Stan Bush never referred to that fact in his interview, introducing Meis merely as someone who “know[s] an awful lot about oil and gas.” After Bush asked Meis if he thought “that a lot of people who are opposed to whatever master plan is being brought out are just opposing to oppose?” Meis answered, “Well, I think some just think that -- their knee-jerk reaction is we got to just have more regulations, period. I would like to see them suggest to me a regulation that they would then employ that isn't already covered some form or some fashion somewhere else.”

Brodhead stated in her introduction to the report that "[o]n the other side of the spectrum" from Allard and Penry, “conservationists reiterate their stance on protecting the environment.” But the report did not include any comments by conservationists or Democratic lawmakers, despite the fact that Salazar and Udall successfully included provisions in the House's 2007 energy bill that would bar oil and gas development on certain areas of the Roan Plateau.

As The Daily Sentinel of Grand Junction reported on August 8, John Salazar sponsored a provision in the House energy bill (H.R. 3221) -- which the House passed 241-172 on August 4 -- “barring oil and gas development on the surface of the Roan Plateau.” The Daily Sentinel noted that “the provision would apply 'no surface occupancy' requirements to public land atop of the plateau, forcing energy companies to drill indirectly from private land in order to access the Roan's minerals.” The article further reported that Allard would “vigorously oppose the House version of the energy bill partly because of the Roan provision.”

In an August 4 press release indicating his support for the measure and indicating that it included provisions he previously introduced and promoted, Udall added, “It is important to note that this is not a prohibition on development, but a requirement that it be done in the least disturbing manner possible, and lands below the top of the Roan Plateau or any non-federal lands are not affected.”

The News Channel 5 report also did not include any comments from Ritter or Sen. Ken Salazar, despite the fact that those Democratic elected officials won an additional 120 days to review the federal Bureau of Land Management's drilling plan for the Roan Plateau, which was released in June, because of concerns over the impact of drilling in the area.

From the August 20 broadcast of KREX's News Channel 5 News at Noon:

BRODHEAD (anchor): And over the weekend, two Colorado politicians are trying to figure out a balanced plan for energy development on the Roan Plateau. Senators Wayne Allard and Josh Penry held a press conference to discuss exactly what they say is a responsible approach. They say it's crucial to remain independent of foreign reliance, given our natural resources here. On the other side of the spectrum though, conservationists reiterate their stance on protecting the environment. Penry says there's no cause for alarm given the fact that 20,000 acres on the Roan Plateau are already protected.

[begin video clip]

PENRY: You have this vast natural gas reserve. Nine trillion cubic feet -- four percent of our nation's entire natural gas reserve is up there. We just don't have the luxury of walking away --

ALLARD: This is the open-mindedness that needs to happen if we're gonna meet the energy needs of this country and be less dependent on foreign oil.

[end video clip]

BRODHEAD: Mesa, Garfield, and Rio Blanco counties support the proposal, but five municipalities in Garfield County actually oppose it. The bill will be introduced at the beginning of the upcoming legislative session.

BUSH (anchor): OK, Sarah, we're joined now with County Commissioner Craig Meis. You know an awful lot about oil and gas -- always a big issue out here on the Western Slope. How has the growth -- how is the growth really affecting the area?

MEIS: Well, I think we're seeing it in about every area. Housing prices are certainly goin' up. We just talked about that with the TABOR -- potential TABOR question; we're certainly seeing it from a human-services standpoint. It is good to note that a lot of the human service indicators such as child benefits, et cetera, are going down because wages are going up. But certainly with housing prices going up, there's certainly a shortage of labor. We need good, skilled, trained work force right now. Unemployment's at a record low. So -- but then also to talk about a little bit about the impacts, as I think is, is really what the energy master plan is really looking to strive for, is to find the balance between sustaining and keeping that economy, while at the same time mitigating or minimizing the impacts that -- the negative, adverse impacts.

BUSH: And you know, the development of the master plans -- and the oil and gas industry, to use a bad pun, has really been an explosive subject for a long time. A lot of -- you know, a lot of opponents of sort of the way the county commission have moved have said that the formation of master plans has not been as much of a public process as they wish it would be. What, what do, what would you say to that?

MEIS: I, I don't know what to say to that. I don't know how much more public we can make it with having the public meetings that we've held in Coburn and Palisade and at the county building. I think a lot of the folks are just simply -- if it's not their idea, it's not a good idea. So, in large part, I can assure you those that have participated and looked at it without a bias going into the process have been very complimentary of it. It's 21st-century planning to say the least; it uses all the capabilities of the GIS system that -- we have very significant capabilities here in Mesa County -- plus it uses the full extent of the rules and regulations that we currently have and plays with our state and federal agencies. We have a lot of authority to help change the process and change how this development takes place if we utilize the current process that we have to the fullest extent. In my opinion, a lot of communities aren't doing that.

BUSH: Well, do you think that a lot of people who are opposed to whatever master plan is being brought out are just opposing to oppose? What are their serious reservations?

MEIS: Well, I think some just think that -- their knee-jerk reaction is we got to just have more regulations, period. I would like to see them suggest to me a regulation that they would then employ that isn't already covered some form or some fashion somewhere else. We, quite frankly, in my opinion, just don't participate properly in the existing process from the standpoint of getting conditions of approval in APDs -- applications for permits to drill -- or in other opportunities -- conditional use permits, et cetera -- where we, quite frankly, aren't taking advantage of the full process now to make sure that development takes place in a neighborly and environmentally sensitive and, and safety, and safe fashion.

BUSH: When, when you look at the real oppositions to, to the oil and gas drilling, a lot of people immediately look at the surface values, what happens there. Do you feel that in, in Denver -- at the, at the state congress -- people are really doing enough to address those concerns and still meeting the industry standards?

MEIS: Well, I think some things certainly are being done, but I, I think certainly when you look at directional drilling, the technology that's change -- it's not Denver and it's not politicians that's coming up with this technology, it's the industry coming up with this technology. And certainly the industry's doing a great job from the standpoint of lessening the surface impact by way of the directional drilling technologies and other technologies that I anticipate that will come about to make this even less intrusive to -- for those of us in the community.

BUSH: All right, Craig, thank you very much. We'll be right back after this.