LONGMONT, Colo.—Gov. John Hickenlooper says the state won’t sue Longmont over a voter-approved ban on hydraulic fracturing, but it will support drilling companies that choose to do so.
Hickenlooper made the announcement Thursday to oil and natural gas executives at the Rockies Midstream Conference in Denver.
Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, involves blasting high-pressure water, sand and chemicals underground to free oil and gas.
The state already has one lawsuit pending against Longmont. It argues that new oil and gas regulations adopted by Longmont’s City Council govern areas meant to be governed by the state.
Hickenlooper’s spokesman Eric Brown told The Times-Call on Friday that the state won’t sue Longmont over the voter-approved fracking ban because there’s uncertainty over whether the state has legal standing to sue in this instance ().
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Information from: Daily Times-Call,
