Efforts To Avoid Ballot Measures On Fracking Fail In Colorado

Faced with the potential for two anti-fracking measures on the Colorado ballot this November, Colorado governor John Hickenlooper and state lawmakers have been working for weeks to develop a legislative compromise to avoid putting the issues to a popular vote.  Hickenlooper's proposal would have placed some additional restrictions on fracking, but would have clarified that local governments could not ban fracking altogether.  Last week, however, Hickenlooper announced that there would be no special legislative session on the proposal because he lacked the support to get a compromise deal done.  With legislative compromise effectively off the table, both sides of the fracking debate will be gearing up for a fight this fall.