[bouldercouncilhotline] Hotline: Proposed Drilling Moratorium Ballot Initiative

[cmosupport at bouldercolorado.gov]

Sender: Jones, Suzanne

Dear Colleagues--

Just a heads up that I will be proposing tonight that we direct staff to craft ballot initiative language to place on the ballot for a vote of the people a three-year moratorium (in effect through December 31, 2016) on accepting oil and gas drilling permits on our open space or on lands within our city limits. I would also suggest that the ballot initiative language be tied to waiting for necessary information from the pending Longmont lawsuits and pending public health impacts studies, paralleling the rationale for the year-long moratorium recently adopted by Council.

I think that it is both useful and compelling to have a vote of the people on such matters of new and somewhat controversial public policy. I also believe that three years represents a good compromise in terms of timing--by balancing when we will begin seeing the results of pending studies and litigation appeals with a longer moratorium that might be more likely to attract a legal challenge.

Thanks,
Suzanne Jones