Dec 05, 2013
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.
_______________________
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Jacob Chamberlain
Jacob Chamberlain is a former staff writer for Common Dreams. 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
Jacob Chamberlain is a former staff writer for Common Dreams. 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.
_______________________
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.