Gov. John Hickenlooper said Wednesday that he was giving up on his effort to craft a compromise bill on local control of oil and gas drilling and that there would be no special legislative session.
“Over the past several months, we have worked with a bipartisan coalition to explore a legislative compromise that would avoid a series of expensive and divisive ballot initiatives,” Hickenlooper said in a statement.
“Despite our best efforts and those of other willing partners, we have not been able to secure the broader stakeholder support necessary to pass bipartisan legislation in a special session,” the governor said.
The goal of the compromise bill would have been to remove two initiatives from the November ballot: one mandating a 2,000-foot setback for drilling rigs from homes and another adding an environmental bill of rights to the state constitution.
The two measures are being supported by U.S. Rep. Jared Polis, D-Boulder, who was supportive of the compromise bill.
“All parties were committed to putting forward a good-faith compromise that, while not perfect, offered a legitimate solution to the fracking debate,” Polis said in a statement.
Fracking or hydraulic fracturing is a key technique used in developing oil and gas wells.
“My one goal is to find a solution that will allow my constituents to live safely in their homes, free from the fear of declining property values or unnecessary health risks, but also that will allow our state to continue to benefit from the oil and gas boom,” Polis said.
The last draft compromise would have given local governments the right to issue rules more stringent than state standards for health and safety.
It would have also guaranteed the right of oil and gas companies to operate.
“We would have preferred a statutory solution,” said Tamra Ward, chief executive of Concerned Colorado, a coalition of business executives.
Concern Colorado was one of several business groups, including the Colorado Association of Home Builders, who ended up supporting the governor’s efforts.
Some oil and gas producers, including the state’s two largest, Anadarko Petroleum Corp. and Noble Energy Inc., also supported the idea of a compromise.
Other business groups, such as the Colorado Petroleum Association and the Farm Bureau, opposed it.
While Hickenlooper said he was seeking a bipartisan agreement and Republic legislators and even some Democrats were opposed to the plan.
“This is the first time in decades the Democrats have been in such disorder,” said State Sen. Greg Brophy, R-Wray,
“And we just thought this was a bad deal for Colorado which benefits tremendously from oil and gas production,” Brophy said.
Mark Jaffe: 303-954-1912, mjaffe@denverpost.com or twitter.com/bymarkjaffe
