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As Al Jazeera-America reports, the Colorado Oil and Gas Association (COGA) filed a lawsuit this week against the towns of Lafayette and Fort Collins, arguing that voters violated a state law they say protects the fracking industry when they passed their respective referendums.
"It's not a surprise that the Colorado Oil & Gas Association would take this position," Laurie Kadrich, director of community development and neighborhood services for the city of Fort Collins, told Bloomberg.
"As a city, we have a responsibility to defend the voter-approved ordinance, so we'll be looking into the contents of the lawsuit and we'll respond appropriately," Kadrich said.
Another Colorado city that passed a ban on fracking, Broomfield, which narrowly passed its referendum in a ballot recount, is facing a separate lawsuit filed Tuesday by Broomfield Balanced Energy Coalition (BBE), which charges city officials of mishandling the ballot counting.
"We think they're trying to overturn democracy," Gary Wockner, director of Colorado Clean Water Action, said of BBE. "The will of the voters is clear. They do not want to be fracked."
"This industry spent hundreds of thousands of dollars trying to buy the election, and they were not successful. Now they're trying a last ditch effort," Wockner told Al Jazeera.
COGA poured over $600,000 into the campaigns fighting against the moratoriums--32 times what anti-fracking activists spent--a rare case in which big money did not sway the election.
At the time of reporting, no legal action has been taken against Boulder, the fourth city to ban fracking in Colorado.
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Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Jacob Chamberlain is a former staff writer for Common Dreams. He is the author of Migrant Justice in the Age of Removal. His website is www.jacobpchamberlain.com.

As Al Jazeera-America reports, the Colorado Oil and Gas Association (COGA) filed a lawsuit this week against the towns of Lafayette and Fort Collins, arguing that voters violated a state law they say protects the fracking industry when they passed their respective referendums.
"It's not a surprise that the Colorado Oil & Gas Association would take this position," Laurie Kadrich, director of community development and neighborhood services for the city of Fort Collins, told Bloomberg.
"As a city, we have a responsibility to defend the voter-approved ordinance, so we'll be looking into the contents of the lawsuit and we'll respond appropriately," Kadrich said.
Another Colorado city that passed a ban on fracking, Broomfield, which narrowly passed its referendum in a ballot recount, is facing a separate lawsuit filed Tuesday by Broomfield Balanced Energy Coalition (BBE), which charges city officials of mishandling the ballot counting.
"We think they're trying to overturn democracy," Gary Wockner, director of Colorado Clean Water Action, said of BBE. "The will of the voters is clear. They do not want to be fracked."
"This industry spent hundreds of thousands of dollars trying to buy the election, and they were not successful. Now they're trying a last ditch effort," Wockner told Al Jazeera.
COGA poured over $600,000 into the campaigns fighting against the moratoriums--32 times what anti-fracking activists spent--a rare case in which big money did not sway the election.
At the time of reporting, no legal action has been taken against Boulder, the fourth city to ban fracking in Colorado.
_______________________
Jacob Chamberlain is a former staff writer for Common Dreams. He is the author of Migrant Justice in the Age of Removal. His website is www.jacobpchamberlain.com.

As Al Jazeera-America reports, the Colorado Oil and Gas Association (COGA) filed a lawsuit this week against the towns of Lafayette and Fort Collins, arguing that voters violated a state law they say protects the fracking industry when they passed their respective referendums.
"It's not a surprise that the Colorado Oil & Gas Association would take this position," Laurie Kadrich, director of community development and neighborhood services for the city of Fort Collins, told Bloomberg.
"As a city, we have a responsibility to defend the voter-approved ordinance, so we'll be looking into the contents of the lawsuit and we'll respond appropriately," Kadrich said.
Another Colorado city that passed a ban on fracking, Broomfield, which narrowly passed its referendum in a ballot recount, is facing a separate lawsuit filed Tuesday by Broomfield Balanced Energy Coalition (BBE), which charges city officials of mishandling the ballot counting.
"We think they're trying to overturn democracy," Gary Wockner, director of Colorado Clean Water Action, said of BBE. "The will of the voters is clear. They do not want to be fracked."
"This industry spent hundreds of thousands of dollars trying to buy the election, and they were not successful. Now they're trying a last ditch effort," Wockner told Al Jazeera.
COGA poured over $600,000 into the campaigns fighting against the moratoriums--32 times what anti-fracking activists spent--a rare case in which big money did not sway the election.
At the time of reporting, no legal action has been taken against Boulder, the fourth city to ban fracking in Colorado.
_______________________