Ignoring threats of a lawsuit from their governor, local officials in Fort Collins, Colo., on Tuesday banned the controversial drilling method known as fracking.
The city council voted five-to-two to prohibit the practice within city limits. Gov. John Hickenlooper, a first-term Democrat, is a vocal supporter of fracking, and the state’s environmental regulations are widely considered some of the best in the country.
Mr. Hickenlooper recently vowed to sue any city that bans fracking, but that threat apparently was ignored by Fort Collins leaders.
Fort Collins Mayor pro tem Kelly Ohlson said that Colorado regulators have no credibility, nor does Mr. Hickenlooper, The Coloradoan newspaper reported.
“I believe the governor should spend his time protecting the health and safety and welfare of citizens of Colorado rather than acting like the chief lobbyist for the oil and gas industry,” Mr. Ohlson told The Coloradoan. “In fact, I think he should literally quit drinking the fracking Kool-Aid.”
The “Kool-Aid” comment was a dig at Mr. Hickenlooper’s recent admission that he once imbibed a glass of fracking fluid, a bizarre step designed to show skeptics that the fluid has become so environmentally safe, one can literally drink it.
He made the admission before a Senate committee last month.
The state of Colorado already is wrapped up in a lawsuit with the city of Longmont, which also has banned fracking. It appears a second lawsuit, this time against Fort Collins, is on the way.
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Ben Wolfgang is a national reporter for The Washington Times. Before coming to the Times, he spent four years as a political reporter in Pennsylvania. His focus is on education and science policy. Ben lives in southeast D.C. and has played guitar in several bands while still in Pennsylvania. He can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.
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