Fracking Industry Counter Measures in Colorado

A man dressed as a pencil stands in front of a video truck urging people not to sign petitions in support of Colorado state ballot petitions 75 and 78 in a park where workers gathered signatures to get proposals on the November ballot. Initiative 75 is a response to the Colorado Supreme Court’s ruling in May that invalidated restrictions and moratoria on fracking put into place by local communities like Longmont and Fort Collins. It would give local governments more say in citing and regulating oil and gas activity in their jurisdictions. Initiative 78 proposes mandatory 2,500-foot setbacks between certain energy development and houses, schools and water sources.