Town Outlaws Fracking, Gets Gripe From Oil and Gas Industry

Longmont, Colorado, became the state's first town to ban hydraulic fracturing, the oil-drilling technique more commonly known as fracking. The town's anti-fracking movement is motivating other cities in similar situations to push for outlaws as well, while the oil and gas industry, on the other hand, is in fierce opposition of such prohibitions and gearing up to file lawsuits against the ban.

According to the EPA, hydraulic fracturing is a well stimulation process that can be used to maximize the extraction of underground resources, such as oil and natural gas. Hydraulic fracturing allows oil or natural gas to move more freely from the rock pores to production wells that bring the oil or gas to the surface as the result of millions of gallons of water, sand, and chemicals being pumped underground to break apart the rock. The process of hydraulic fracturing begins with building the necessary site infrastructure including well construction. 

The oil and gas industries claim that hydraulic fracking is environmentally safe, but those in opposition, mostly environmentalists and concerned citizens, have raised concerns regarding: 1) related water contamination and air pollution, and 2) the well pads and drilling towers that would sprout up in their communities.

It all started when the Longmont townspeople were informed of plans to construct wells near the town's Union Reservoir and a playground/recreational area within the community. Supporters of the prohibition, however, were not as concerned about climate change and environmental issues, but rather on the principle of "not in my back yard" - commonly abbreviated is NIMBY. 

The oil and gas industries devoted much time and money into suppressing the citizen uprising. The energy industry spent more than $500,000 in mailers and news advertisements claiming that the ban would drive away businesses and lead to expensive court and legal battles. The aim of the opposition was to urge voters to reject the proposal on Election Day.

Despite the opposition, the ban was passed on Election Day, 60 to 40. However, the ban now faces legal scrutiny and fights at all levels of government - very similar to the situation occurring with the passed legalized Marijuana law, also in Colorado.

Colorado Governor John W. Hickenlooper (D) warned Longmont residents prior to the election that the ban will most likely result in a lawsuit from the state. The reason for this is because the state claims that only it has the authority to regulate drilling - not the municipalities. The state already sued the town once over previous city regulations that limited drilling in certain locations, such as those near schools and homes.

The primary lobbying group for the energy industry within the state, The Colorado Oil and Gas Association, had called the ban confrontational and goes against the private property rights of the companies - claiming that they have the legal rights to any and all oil and gas underlying Longmont - despite the fact that many residents may need to hire an eminent domain attorney if their property is ever taken for such a venture.

Hydraulic fracturing throughout the country has allowed drilling companies to unearth large, new reservoirs of oil and natural gas over the past few years. Although the drilling companies oppose such bans, depending on how the Longmont situation unfolds, other cities in similar situations may follow suit.