From The Daily Sentinel (Grand Junction): State Rep. Ray Scott says a recent tour of Garfield County oil and gas facilities by members of a new state task force violated Colorado’s open meetings law.
Others are also questioning the state’s handling of the tour, which Department of Natural Resource officials say was simply an educational event where no deliberations occurred, and that circumstances prevented general public attendance.
Members plan another such tour this week in Longmont.
Thursday’s tour was taken by three members of the new 21-member task force that was created by Gov. John Hickenlooper under a deal that kept several oil and gas measures off this fall’s ballot. The group is looking at making recommendations on how to strike balances between energy development and protection of residents, and between state versus local control over the industry.
Task force co-chairwoman Gwen Lachelt and members Sara Barwinski and Russ George on Thursday attended an open meeting in which they heard comments from an industry, citizen and Garfield County representative. They then undertook the tour of several industry sites, including ones near homes.
The Daily Sentinel sought and was granted permission to join the tour. But Scott, R-Grand Junction, questioned why the public at large was excluded.
“In my opinion it’s clearly a violation,” he said. “The statute’s pretty clear. I don’t see the wiggle room in the statute. They’re not supposed to be doing that. It’s supposed to be open to the public if they do it.”
According to the state Office of Legislative Legal Services, Colorado’s Sunshine Law “generally requires that any state or local governmental body that meets to discuss public business or to take formal action do so in meetings that are open to the public.”
It includes in the definition of state bodies any “board, commission, or other advisory decision-making body of the state,” and says the law applies any time two or more members of the body are conducting business. According to ground rules established for the task force, notice of its meetings is posted ahead of time on the DNR website and they are open to the public.
Visit The Daily Sentinel for more.