Colorado City Bans Fracking Within City

The Fort Collins City Council has banned fracking within city limits, opening the door to possible legal action.

According to the Fort Collins Coloradoan, the council voted Tuesday to impose the ban despite threats from Gov. John Hickenlooper, who said the state would sue any municipality that bans oil and gas development.

The governor says such restrictions would violate the state’s authority over oil and gas regulation.

Meanwhile, in Loveland, the city council approved incentives Tuesday for oil companies to follow higher standards than state regulations require, while not imposing conditions that would cause court challenges.

Hydraulic fracturing, also called fracking, is a gas drilling process that blasts chemical-laden water deep into the ground. Environmentalists say the technique pollutes groundwater and the chemicals are unsafe.