From The Colorado Statesman (Peter Marcus):
Twenty-six craft brewers have sent a letter to the governor and launched a campaign expressing their fears over impacts of oil and gas development to air, water, land, communities and — especially — their own craft beer industry. The industry relies heavily on crisp, clean Rocky Mountain water.
The conflict for Hickenlooper is real. For one, he is a brother of the craft brew industry, having co-founded Wynkoop Brewing Co. in 1988. Brewers have always been some of his best friends and biggest supporters. Then add into the mash the governor’s career prior to Wynkoop, when he worked as a geologist for the oil and gas industry.
Much of the brewers’ concerns revolve around hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. Because fracking employs the pressure of a fluid to increase extraction rates — often times including chemicals, sand and water — fears have grown that groundwater can become contaminated.
“As a former brewer, you know that the most important ingredient in good beer is good clean water!” states the letter from the brewers to Hickenlooper dated June 26.
Glenwood Canyon Brewery’s head brewer Chip Holland joins the group at Hogshead Brewery in Denver to review Colorado environmental conditions in relation to its microbrewing industry.
Photos by John Schoenwalter/The Colorado Statesman
The message goes on to highlight the importance of the industry, pointing to a contribution last year of $446 million to the state’s economy and nearly 6,000 jobs.“We ask you, as our governor and a craft beer enthusiast, to protect what we all value — clean water, clear skies and Colorado’s great outdoors,” the letter continues. “We urge you to support stronger standards for oil and gas industry operations. The quality of life we all enjoy and the integrity of communities where craft brewing thrives are depending on this.”
From the Denver Business Journal (Ed Sealover):
Twenty-six brewery officials gathered two weeks ago at Denver’s Hogshead Brewery to hold a “beer summit” about oil and gas standards. They crafted a letter to the Democratic governor — himself the founder and former co-owner of Wynkoop Brewing Co. — asking him to support stronger standards for oil and gas industry operations in Colorado.
“Our success depends on Colorado’s unique brand and the outdoor lifestyle that attracts new residents, businesses, entrepreneurs and millions of tourists annually,” wrote the group, which has a mix of Western Slope and Front Range breweries, in a June 26 letter to Hickenlooper. “That is why we must strike a better balance between energy development and conservation of our state’s natural beauty.”
Others have lobbied Hickenlooper on this issue. Environmental advocates worked with legislative Democrats last year to introduce nine bills that would have taken steps such as increasing groundwater testing in the oil-rich Greater Wattenberg Area, increasing permitting fees to fund local government oversight of drilling, and removing promotion of the oil industry from the mission of the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC).
But seven of the nine bills died as Hickenlooper — who worked as a geologist before getting into the brewing industry — insisted several undermined the COGCC and its recent decisions. And that lack of success in increasing regulation is what inspired brewers to act. They rely heavily on the state’s water supply and are concerned, having seen several instances of Western Slope groundwater contamination this year that haven’t threatened their products yet but could one day, said Chip Holland, head brewer at Glenwood Canyon Brewery in Glenwood Springs.