LONGMONT -- Longmont-area fracking foes need to build alliances with similarly concerned constituents of Colorado legislators representing districts outside Boulder County's boundaries, three lawmakers advised Wednesday night.

"We're not the ones who need to be convinced" of the need for stricter state oversight of oil and gas drilling, said Rep. Mike Foote, D-Lafayette. "There are others who need to be convinced."

Said Rep. Jonathan Singer, D-Longmont: "Spend a little less time with us," and "reach out to other parts of the state."

During a town hall meeting at the Longmont Public Library, Foote, Singer, and Sen. Matt Jones, D-Louisville, listened to several meeting-goers' frustrations about the fates of oil and gas-related bills considered during the 2013 state legislative session that ended on May 8.

Foote, Jones and Singer were themselves sponsors of several measures, whose supporters argued were needed to give Coloradans more protections against the potential negative environmental and public impacts of oil and gas drilling in general and of the practice of hydraulic fracturing -- injecting a mixture of sand, water and chemicals into wells to free up oil and gas deposits --in particular.

Before any bill can become law, the three legislators noted, its supporters need to collect at least 33 votes in the 65-member House and 18 votes in the 35-member Senate, as well as the consent of the governor -- who can sign or veto any bill that gets to his desk, or let it become law without his signature.


Singer said Boulder County's entire legislative delegation has been outspoken on the need for oil and gas measures such as the ones that died. But in some other parts of the state, "this isn't the top issue out there."

Foote, Singe and Jones promised they'll continue to work on the oil and gas issue themselves, and Jones encouraged the anti-fracking activists at Wednesday night's meeting to continue their efforts.

Jones counseled people "to be persistent in a way that helps build a coalition" with other Coloradans sharing their concerns. And he warned them not to be confrontational when lobbying lawmakers about oil and gas legislation.
