Beauprez on “Dirty Dozen” List–Again

Candidates and elected officials like being on top of anyone’s list–but maybe not this time. The League of Conservation Voters and the League of Colorado Voters announced in Rifle on Thursday that they put Republican gubernatorial candidate, Bob Beauprez on their “Dirty Dozen” list for his past voting record against environmental issues.A spokesperson for the LCV said that they chose Rifle to announce their displeasure with Beauprez because Rifle is located at the base of the Roan Plateau, a natural scenic area that is being threatened by drilling and Rifle is also the location for next week’s gubernatorial debate on oil and gas issues.

Tony Massaro, LCV’s vice president said that in the four years Beauprez has been a congressman, he had voted in favor of environmental issues only three times. Some of the pro-energy bills the LVC claim Beauprez has supported include exempting oil and gas activities from water-protection laws, reducing royalty revenues so that Colorado towns like Rifle have less monies to manage gas drilling impacts and opposing higher gas mileage requirements in new vehicles.

A hunting outfitter, Jeff Mead of Rifle added that Beauprez’s initiative to ask elk to change their migration patterns was not a sound idea.

The director of the Conservation Voters Campaign fund, Carrie Doyle said that while every one agrees that there is a need for balanced development of natural resources, Beauprez’s voting record shows that he supports energy development over the environment and “that’s out of step with Colorado values,” she noted.

A Ritter campaign spokesperson mentioned that this is the second time Beauprez has landed on the LCV “Dirty Dozen” list.