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Watchdog Group Cries Foul on Results of Oil Shale Poll

by KREX News Room
by Cori Coffin

Story Created: Oct 30, 2012 at 11:11 PM MDT

Story Updated: Nov 1, 2012 at 8:42 AM MDT

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.-The Checks and Balances Project, a Colorado watchdog group, is accusing Club 20, in partnership with Environmentally Conscious Consumers for Oil Shale, otherwise known as ECCOS, of purposefully misrepresenting stakeholder comments when they claimed a majority of those polled are in favor of more land use for oil shale development.

The Denver-based organization reviewed the stakeholder comments, and says that based on their interpretation, 51 percent of those polled are in opposition to using more land for oil shale, while 37 percent are for it.

"We took a comprehensive look, and we found that a majority supported either the [Bureau of Land Management's] approach, the BLM plan or a stronger conservation plan," explained Matt Garrington, co-director of the Checks and Balances Project.

ECCOS is fighting back.

"We are not at all surprised by the fact that those answers may have been questioned. However, we stand by our audit. We went through objectively, and we did not try to put words into comments; we did not try to assume what people meant," explained Brad McCloud with ECCOS.

The results of that poll were taken into account when Club 20, ECCOS and the Grand Junction Chamber of Commerce drafted proposals to the BLM, favoring more acreage for research and development of oil shale.

The BLM's alternative to that would be cutting around 280,000 acres. They hope to arrive at a decision by the end of 2012.

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Eyes Wide Open said on Friday, Nov 2 at 7:35 AM

This group is nothing but a front group, an anti development front group. It's sad that the local media would take their "report" into consideration as a true news story and give them any sort of credibility. Everyone, do your research before believing what you hear!

tater said on Wednesday, Oct 31 at 6:42 PM

Watchdog group? Short for, find something wrong and if not, make something up.

Bamboozled said on Wednesday, Oct 31 at 11:56 AM

Shy not public the results of the poll and let us decide for ourselves?

Truth be Told said on Wednesday, Oct 31 at 10:13 AM

This “watchdog” group does nothing, but attack industry and development, insult the traditional media and go after conservative legislators by misrepresenting statistics, fabricating bogus “surveys” and misleading the general public by using a name that sounds like they are a legit organization. The fact that anyone would consider them a credible source is laughable!

Eyes Everywhere said on Wednesday, Oct 31 at 5:14 AM

Someone needs to watch the "Watch Dog" group. They are nothing more than another left wing advocacy group.

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