Secretary of State Wayne Williams announced Monday that “two proposed ballot measures aimed at adding more limitations on oil and natural gas drilling in Colorado failed to make the November ballot because supporters didn’t collect enough valid voter signatures”.
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“Colorado voters recognized that these extreme measures would destroy the state’s economy and take away private property rights”, said Karen Crummy, communications director for Protecting Colorado’s Economy, Environment, and Energy Independence, a group aligned with the oil and gas industry.
Initiative #78, “Mandatory Setbacks from Oil and Gas Development”, establishes a buffer zone of 2,500′ (less than ½ mile) between new oil and gas development and homes, hospitals, schools and sensitive areas like playgrounds and drinking water sources.
If passed, Initiative 75 would have changed the state constitution to allow local governments to regulate oil and gas development, including putting fracking bans in place. He also said that several potentially forged signature lines were discovered on the petition for the drilling setbacks, Initiative 78, and have been referred to state Attorney General’s office for investigation. Williams said he didn’t think an appeal would succeed because the samples indicated both petitions would fall short by about 20,000 signatures.
“Yes for Health and Safety over Fracking”, the group backing the ballot initiatives, said it was reviewing the ruling to determine whether to file a challenge. “That fracking is unsafe to the health and safety of the state’s residents resonated loudly in every corner of the state”.
“We are looking into it, but we are really proud of what we’ve accomplished, and we’re going to explore all possible avenues to ensure that every valid signature is counted”, she said.
“If they do get on the ballot, the oil and gas industry will just pummel this state”.
Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, has always been a contentious issue in Colorado, the nation’s No. 7 energy-producing state.
Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, exacerbates the controversy. Large volumes of sandy, chemical-laden water are injected at high pressure into the shale, breaking it up and allowing oil and gas deposits to escape. The industry insists it’s safe.
The court ruled that a ban on fracking in Longmont and a five-year moratorium in Fort Collins were invalid because they conflicted with state law.
“Despite the countless hours and the thousands of Coloradans who spoke in support of protecting the health and safety of Colorado communities, the movement faced an unprecedented flow of money from the oil and gas opposition that felt the need to spent $15 million to defeat us”, Diana Best, Greenpeace USA Climate and Energy Campaigner, based in Denver said in a prepared statement.
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Their options include campaigning to elect sympathetic lawmakers and trying to persuade regulators to impose new restrictions.
