The first municipality in Colorado to ban hydraulic fracturing was not liberal college town Boulder, but its more conservative neighbor, Longmont.

On Election Day, voters in Longmont—both Republicans and Democrats—approved a local measure (Ballot Question 300) that prohibits the use of hydraulic fracturing (aka fracking) to extract natural gas from beneath the earth. The new law also bans the storage and disposal of fracking-created waste.

Support for the ban was indeed bipartisan, with about 63% of precincts that voted for Mitt Romney endorsing it, as well as 96% of pro-Obama precincts.

Local and state officials were not pleased with the decision by Longmont’s residents. The town mayor, Dennis L. Coombs, told The New York Times: “People really didn’t think through this too well,” adding: “We are where we are. I guess you have to respect the people.”

Colorado’s Democratic governor, John Hickenlooper, has said the ban violates state law, because only the state can regulate drilling.

State attorneys are expected to file a lawsuit to get Ballot Question 300 overturned. Colorado already has a pending case against Longmont for banning fracking near schools and homes. Energy companies with wells in Longmont may also sue the town.

-Noel Brinkerhoff

To Learn More:

With Ban on Drilling Practice, Town Lands in Thick of Dispute (by Jack Healy, New York Times)

Longmont's Fracking Ban Vote Crossed Party Lines (by Scott Rochat, Longmont Times-Call)

Longmont Fracking Regulations Bring The State Vs. Local Government Power Debate To The Surface (by TK Keith, Red Lodge Clearinghouse)