But most commissions are nothing like the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission.

Gov. Bill Ritter oversaw a wholesale remake of that commission last year, and Tuesday, his six new choices for the panel appeared before the Senate Agriculture Committee for their confirmation.

After a sometimes-heated 90-minute hearing, they squeaked by on a 4-3 vote.

Both Republicans and Democrats are worried that new rules the oil and gas commission will adopt this summer will hurt the energy industry. But the Agriculture Committee's four Democrats voted for Ritter's nominees, while the three Republicans voted no, saying they needed more time for questions.

Sen. Greg Brophy, R-Wray, led the questioning and asked Chairman Jim Isgar, D-Hesperus, to delay the vote.

"This is a commission that's going to oversee the biggest industry in the state of Colorado," Brophy said. "I don't think it's appropriate at this time to send the names forward."

But Brophy lost that bid, and the full Senate will now consider the appointments.

The new commissioners have been meeting since last summer, but they require approval by the Senate sometime this year.

The six new commissioners include Tom Compton of Hesperus, who fills a slot reserved for agriculture producers and royalty owners. The other five are Richard Alward, a soil conservationist; Michael Dowling, an environmental protection expert; Tresi Houpt, a Garfield County commissioner; and Mark Cutright and Joshua Epel, who represent the energy industry.

The oil and gas commission's staff is working on new rules about public health and wildlife. Senators asked how the new commissioners planned to balance those concerns with the need to efficiently produce natural gas.

"In my own mind, I do prioritize. I put public health and safety at the top," Compton said.

But the commission will have a hard time getting beyond anecdotal evidence of health problems in gas fields and finding hard data, Compton said.

The commission and its staff are likely to hear more pointed questions from the Legislature. Isgar said Tuesday he will invite commission director David Neslin back to answer more questions about the new rules.

The rules are scheduled to be adopted by July 1, but Isgar said he will ask for an extension to July 16, to give commissioners time to deliberate after a weeklong hearing planned for the end of June.

"I think we all need to recognize the importance of the industry and the fact that we're dealing with somebody's property," Isgar told the new commissioners. "It is a balance, and we're putting a lot of responsibility on you to balance all those interests."