John Hickenlooper, Scott McInnis and Dan Maes

The political controversy over new oil and gas drilling rules, which dominated the gubernatorial campaign a few months ago, has fizzled, as the Democrat vying to replace Gov. Bill Ritter has signaled a more conciliatory stance toward the industry, The Denver Post reports. Republican gubernatorial candidate Dan Maes has said he would gut the rules as one of his first orders of business. Scott McInnis, a GOP candidate who opposes most of the rules, repeatedly hammered Ritter about the drilling regulations last year, and the issue promised to be one of the most contentious of the campaign.