Colorado’s gas industry following trend in the United States

Gov. Bill Ritter has something in common with Sarah Palin.

The Colorado Democrat and the Alaska Republican could hardly be more different politically, except for this: Both governors used their power to take on the gas and oil industry, and both paid a price for it.

Ritter rewrote the book on environmental regulations for the industry. Palin raised oil taxes.

They both take blame for chasing the industry out of their states. Palin resigned last summer, and Ritter is not running for a second term – although both governors say the gas and oil fight had nothing to do with their career choices.

Alaska Republicans now have plans to lower the taxes Palin approved. Colorado Republicans kept up their steady criticism of Ritter last week.

“The results are in,” said Senate Minority Leader Josh Penry, R-Grand Junction. “If you compare the loss in drill-rig count in Colorado, and in particular the Piceance Basin, to surrounding states – New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, for example, not to mention states like Pennsylvania that have seen an increase in energy production – it’s clear that these rules have taken a bad situation in the commodity environment and made it dramatically, dramatically worse.”

It is a criticism often heard from Republicans and shared by the party’s leading candidate for governor, Scott McInnis.

In both Colorado and Alaska, defenders of the governors blame the energy industry’s decline on the recession and the low prices it caused.

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