I haven’t taken a strong stance for or against fracking because, despite my background as an energy analyst, I just don’t feel like I have enough understanding to take an aggressive posture either way. Fracking could very well be one of those complex issues where the truth lies somewhere in between both sides’ arguments. In any event, one thing that I can say I am completely and totally appalled by and opposed to is the approach of the Governor of my adopted state of Colorado, John Hickenlooper.
It seems as if Governor Hickenlooper is taking a page out of the federal playbook in thinking he is a mini-dictator. The fact that my governor’s strategy to deal with reasonable concerns about fracking in our communities is to threaten them with lawsuits is entirely unacceptable. Looks like I need to spend a bit more time on local issues going forward. From the Huffington Post:
In a recent interview with CBS4, Hickenlooper told Shaun Boyd in no uncertain terms that the state will sue any city that bans hydraulic fracturing within their borders.
When the controversial natural gas drilling technique also known as “fracking” was banned in Longmont in 2012, the state sued the town claiming that the city’s oil and gas regulations illegally overstepped the state’s authority to regulate the industry.
And just this month, the city of Fort Collins gave initial approval to a ban of most oil and natural gas exploration including hydraulic fracturing within the city limits and Hickenlooper says that the state is prepared to sue Fort Collins. A day after the city announced the initial approval, the oil industry also suggested that it may take legal action against the city if the ban goes into effect, The Coloradoan reported last week.
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