Opponents of fracking in Colorado have submitted two anti-fracking amendments to state officials, promising they raised at least 100,000 signatures to get them on the November ballot.
Each must have 98,492 valid signatures and Lauren Petrie, Rocky Mountain director of the green group Food and Water Watch says they have them.
“This is a significant moment in the national movement to stem the tide of fracking and natural gas.”
Environmentalists made a last-minute push over the weekend to ensure gathering the needed numbers, according to a report by the Colorado Independent. Tricia Olson, executive director of the Committee to Resist Extreme Energy Development (CREED) felt confident there were enough signatures. The Secretary of State has 30 days to validate the signatures.
The two issues were initiatives 75 and 78. Initiative 75 would change the Colorado constitution to allow local governments to regulate fracking in their communities, much like the fracking ban adopted a few years ago by voters in Denton, Texas, a ban later overturned by the Texas Supreme court. The Denton ban also prompted similar efforts in Oklahoma but the legislature quickly approved laws against giving local communities such powers.
Initiatie 78 would change the Colorado constitution. It would allow a 2,500-foot distance between fracking rigs and homes, schools, hospitals and water sources.
