Photo courtesy of The Colorado Observer

No longer able to stomach the hypocrisy of Colorado’s Democrats, Republicans have taken a fair-minded and even-handed law straight to the people.  PeakNation™, you’ll remember when we wrote back in January about how Democrats shot down (along a purely partisan vote) a proposal put forth by Rep. Jerry Sonnenberg that would prevent any local communities from receiving funds from gas and oil taxes if they banned the development of energy sources in their town or city.

Not willing to sit back and let out of state fractivists run roughshod over Colorado’s economy, Sonnenberg and Rep. Frank McNulty are now taking their commonsense law straight to the people.  The newly-formed issue committee appropriately is called Energy Bans Hurt Communities.  If the initiative passes in November, it would prohibit communities from receiving energy funds if they have bans or moratoriums in effect.  As Sonnenberg puts it in a press release:

“This issue is one of common sense and fairness – if a community decides to ignore all the science and all the facts and ban responsible energy development, those communities shouldn’t be able to line up at the trough and benefit from responsible oil and gas development occurring in other parts of the State. It is the height of hypocrisy for the Boulders and Ft. Collins of the world to benefit from oil and gas taxes so long as they have an oil and gas ban in place.” [the Peak emphasis]

America has been fracking for over 70 years, and the dangers associated with the activity have long been exaggerated by the fringe, most often by those with no real knowledge about fracking in the first place.  Cities such as Greeley show that a community can thrive when embracing fracking.  Fracking is not a zero-sums game. Cities don’t have to choose between a beautiful community and economic growth, but that the latter can actually help foster the former. McNulty explained the issue:

“While only a small handful of liberal communities have taken the draconian, anti-science step of banning hydraulic fracturing and energy development, the policy is an important one – if you adopt Sierra Club type energy bans that hurt our communities and our schools, don’t expect energy revenues to pick up your tab. Boulder and Ft. Collins can and should pay for those services themselves.”

The three cities of Boulder, Ft. Collins, and Brighton have already benefited from money that comes directly from fracking, and each have now banned it.  Their hypocrisy reeks.

The Peak is glad to see this issue put directly to the discerning citizens of Colorado. We see this common-sense law easily passing.  And Colorado will be better for it.