Diana Degette

Diana Louise DeGette (/dɪˈɡɛt/; born July 29, 1957) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the U.S. representative for Colorado’s 1st congressional district since 1997. A member of the Democratic Party, her district is based in Denver. DeGette was a Chief Deputy Whip from 2005 to 2019 and is the dean of Colorado’s congressional delegation; she served as the Colorado State Representative for the 6th district from 1993 until her election to the U.S. House.

Opinion: Avoiding America’s next drilling disaster

In the wake of the BP Gulf oil disaster, U.S. Sen. Robert Casey of Pennsylvania and U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette of Colorado warned in the Philadelphia Inquirer that hydraulic fracturing posed a parallel onshore risk, urging federal disclosure of fracking chemicals under the Safe Drinking Water Act. Challenging exemptions advanced during Vice President Dick Cheney’s 2005 energy legislation, Casey and DeGette argued that energy companies should disclose the ingredients in fracking fluids—diesel fuel, benzene, methanol, and formaldehyde among them—while preserving proprietary formulas, countering industry claims that state regulation alone was sufficient.

Source: Philadelphia Inquirer (2010) Read More