Assault on Colorado Oil & Gas
March 20, 2019
On Monday, March 18, the Democrats and Boulder liberals launched an all-day attack
on Colorado’s Oil and Gas Industry by introducing SB19-181, “Protect Public Welfare
for Oil and Gas Operations.” Do not let the title fool you, this bill is designed to cripple
Colorado’s Oil and Gas industry.
As a member of the Energy and Environment committee, we heard all day and into the
night from concerned citizens who work in the Oil and Gas industry, industry experts,
ranchers and farmers, mineral owners and others who wanted to protect one of
Colorado’s most important industries.
In the end, the scare tactics of environmental extremists, industry opponents and
supporters of last fall’s FAILED proposition 112 won the day. All the Democrats on the
committee voted FOR SB19-181, all of the Republicans voted NO. It is interesting to
note that none of the Democrats on the committee have significant Oil and Gas
operations in their districts and none represent rural Colorado which is greatly affected
by this legislation.
Briefly, what SB19-181 will do is to pile on more rules and regulations on an already
regulated and safe industry. The bill grants authority to the Director of the Oil and Gas
Conservation Committee to refuse any permit they so choose. It also allows any city or
town to promulgate any rules to regulate all aspects of Oil and Gas operations, including
control over citing, air quality and much more. In many cases this will give municipalities
whose goal it is to ban all development of Coloradans’ mineral property the ability to do
so. There are many negative points to this dangerous and insidious bill.
Make no doubt about it, as SB19-181 is fully implemented, over the next 10 years, it
could cause a reduction of 50% of new Oil and Gas production. It will cause a loss of
120,000 fewer jobs in all sectors of the economy, and a loss of $8 billion in tax revenue
through 2030. Last but not least, there will be a loss of over $150 billion in GDP from
2020-2030 to Colorado’s overall economy.
In all my years in the legislature, I have never seen such a determined attack on one
industry in Colorado. Our Oil and Gas experts, industry professionals and elected
officials from the Oil and Gas producing counties were never consulted in drafting this
bill by the bill’s sponsors. SB19-181 as currently amended will cause significant harm to
our economy by the end of 2019. As always I welcome your comments and it is my
honor to represent you at the Capitol.
Sincerely,
Representative Larry Liston
Fighting for Preemies!!!
April 04, 2019
I , along with Rep. Lois Landgraf fought for and secured additional funding for Doctors and nurses who save and help pre-mature babies. This was a great addition to the budget. I was proud to fight for the medical professionals and especially for the most vulnerable people, the preemies.
Exonerated!!!
March 25, 2019
Today I went on the floor to explain to the
House that President Trump has been totally exonerated. The country needs to unite and move beyond the partisan “witch-hunt “.
How to work a bill...Rep. Liston finds support for special district voting
February 19, 2019
It's called "how to work a bill."
On Friday, Republican state Rep. Larry Liston of Colorado Springs fought for the political life of a bill allowing non-Colorado residents to vote in special district board elections.
House Bill 1108 would allow property owners — say, for example, those who own second homes in Colorado — to vote for members of the board of directors for special districts in which they reside.
To read the full article, CLICK HERE!
Legislator of the Year award from the Colorado March of Dimes.
February 05, 2019
Rep. Larry Liston received the 2018 “Legislator of the Year” award from the Colorado March of Dimes. He received the award for his work and sponsorship of the New Born Infant Screening bill in 2018, which updated all new born tests for babies in Colorado.
Iron Skillet Award
January 09, 2019
Sen Gardner and I received this award from the Colorado Restaurant Association on Jan. 9th. They recognized us for carrying legislation that helped Colorado’s Restaurants run more efficiently and saving them thousands of dollars in lost inventory costs. We were only two of 100 legislators to receive this distinguished award.
CACI Endorsement
August 10, 2018
The Colorado Chamber of Commerce, CACI, released its 2018 Legislative Endorsements, and we are excited to announce that Larry Liston has been endorsed! Link to a video of our candidate interview process held over 4 days in July, as well as the full endorsement list below. Colorado Chamber of Commerce.
Walgreens underwriting unwanted drug program...
July 11, 2018
Walgreens is actively underwriting an unwanted drug program where people can drop off any unwanted prescription drugs in a safe and convenient way. This is a great program and idea that will help keep unwanted and unsafe prescription drugs from getting into the wrong hands. Here you see Larry Liston, along with the Mayor and other members of the Colorado State Government at a local Walgreens.
New born Infant Screening Bill: HB-1006
April 20, 2018
Reps. Larry Liston and Millie Hamner presenting HB-1006, the New Born Infant Screening bill last night. This bill will dramatically help all new born infants start a healthy life and put their parents at ease, knowing that their children will lead healthy lives. Great bill, lots of work to get it out of the House.
Rep.Larry Liston