"In Colorado, a Ballot Measure to End All Anti-Fracking Ballot Measures"

"Funded largely by the oil and gas industry, Amendment 71 would put big hurdles in Colorado's relatively easy path to changing its state constitution".

"In the wake of helping defeat two recent ballot measures that could have reined in fracking in Colorado, the state's oil and gas industry is leading a campaign to sharply limit future citizen initiatives.

A so-called Raise the Bar question will be asked on the Colorado ballot on Nov. 8. It is being promoted as a way to make the controversial process of amending the state constitution more fair. But as the proponents' motto implies, Amendment 71 would increase the hurdles for citizen activists seeking to change Colorado's constitution through ballot initiatives. And with the energy industry contributing 74 percent of the $4.2 million raised for the Raise the Bar drive, fracking foes say it is clear that one goal is to stop any citizen effort to bring drilling regulation questions to the voters.

"Basically what oil and gas is trying to do is shut down any future initiatives on oil and gas," says Kaye Fissinger, president of Our Health, Our Future, Our Longmont, one of the citizen groups behind a the failed effort to get anti-fracking measures on this years' ballot."

Marianne Lavelle reports for the InsideClimate News October 19, 2016.