Rustproofing Too!!

This piece is part of Yellow Scene Magazine’s Opinion section. The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent a reported news position. At Yellow Scene, opinion pieces speak freely, challenge assumptions, and say the quiet parts out loud.

The long-running show about the sale of mineral rights, produced by Erie’s Town Council, has dropped the curtain  – at least for now.

Throughout the often acrimonious debate, members of the conservative majority reminded me of enthusiastic car dealers selling rustproofing for fiberglass-bodied cars.

For those in the comfort of current events darkness, the Town voted to reject an offer from SM Energy Company, then, a week later, approved the same offer.

Brian O’Conner, who cast the deciding vote against the sale, turned sharply to the right and joined a 4-3 majority in its approval. O’Conner publicly claimed that he voted “Aye” because he had come to believe that town residents supported approval, a consensus he did not see at the time of the first vote.

Methinks he did not see such a consensus because such a consensus does not exist – then or now. Most polling/surveys pointed to a different community consensus, although I worry that the majority of Erie residents didn’t know or care much about the issue at all.

Some folks suspect that O’Conner first voted “Nay” knowing a member of the Nay voter group could move to bring the matter for reconsideration. This reconsideration is a one-time mechanism, thus assuring that the losers on vote #2 would have no recourse. And so it went. I don’t know O’Conner, and have no opinion on whether he would be party to such a devious scheme.

A coalition of community residents has asked the CO Attorney General to look into several alleged violations of the Town’s procedural rules. That aside, there are glaring problems that require no forensic skill to identify as improper/corrupt. The complaint to the AG itemizes these quite thoroughly, but the real whopper was the undemocratic selection of Matt Owens to negotiate on the Town’s behalf. Owens was the CEO for Civitas Resources before it merged with SM Energy.

His consulting fee was $4.5 million, oddly the precise amount the Town receives as a cash payment under the deal. If you draw a straight line through the oily obfuscation, that means that Erie receives bupkis, not even an Uber driver’s tip for steering the money to Owens.

$4.5 million in, $4.5 million out.

Town spokesman Gabi Rae estimated the Town’s share of future revenue as $19 million over the next 20 years. Owens, in selling the deal, estimated future revenue at $465 million in a delusional rant posted on LinkedIn – later removed. Hmmmm . . . why would a guy in line for a $4.5 million payday wildly exaggerate the benefits to the Town? Makes rustproofing salesmen seem like Abe Lincoln.

There is ample reason to doubt that even $19 million will be forthcoming, but even if so, that amounts to less than 1/4 of 1% of Erie’s annual budget. I deeply resent my Town’s representatives selling out my grandchildren’s health and well-being, especially for chump change.

O’Conner and others in the majority claim that lots of the deal’s supporters remained silent because they were “intimidated.” As an Erie resident, with too much time on my hands, I can attest to the absurdity of that claim. The MAGA and MAGA-adjacent folks in town are unrepentantly fierce. Watch a video of a Town Council meeting and watch the treatment of our sole woman member. Or listen to Brandon Bell for a few minutes.

By contrast, the coalition of community members who organized the resistance is comprised primarily – not solely – of older folks, mostly women. Come by the next No Kings rally and enjoy their dignified, good-humored-while-passionate company.

Mayor Andrew Moore and his majority justify selling out by saying, “They can drill anyway, so let’s get what we can.” When examining any complex matter, it’s useful to step back and see what motivates the parties to a dispute or deal.

I start by suggesting that Oil and Gas companies are not known for civic generosity. The idea that they would pay $465 million, $19 million, or $1.50 for nothing in return is silly. Aspects of the deal are complicated and uncertain, such as the value of land Erie gets in the trade-off. It bears noting that the land’s supposed value is based on future housing development at highly inflated expectations. Ironically, many who support the deal are opposed to more housing development in our already overgrown mini-metropolis.

Conservatives in town pooh-pooh the resistance by saying we have general animus toward Oil and Gas. I speak only for myself. Damn right I do!  It’s a greedy, dirty industry that values profit over people. SM Energy has committed 125 environmental offenses in recent decades, incurring $11 million in fines. This is just considered a niggling “cost of doing business” expense to an O&G behemoth.

As to “They can drill anyway” . . .

Perhaps, but if you can’t see that this deal exponentially increases drilling and risk, I’ve got an extended warrantee to sell you along with the rustproofing. For a good summary of the risks, visit Colorado Rising.

Capitulating to that argument is like observing a group of thieves marauding through your neighborhood and saying, “Oh, what the hell, let’s just give them the key to the front door.”

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