A room packed with anti-fracking protestors did not stop Boulder County Commissioners from voting unanimously to allow fracking on county land.
Many opponents wore tape over their mouths to symbolize that they did not feel that their voices were being heard.
The meeting OK'ed new oil and gas guidelines to allow fracking on unincorporated county land, a stark contrast from neighboring Longmont which voted to ban hydraulic fracturing and the storage of fracking waste within city limits.
East Boulder County resident Rod Brueske's tape over his mouth read, "It's not okay to poison my kids," according to a report by The Boulder Daily Camera.
At a meeting last week, EnCana Oil and Gas representative Wendy Wiedenbeck was intimidated enough by protestors after giving her testimony to call for a police escort. Wiedenbeck was jeered at and even had some opponents follow her to her car.
Commissioners cited a "bullying atmosphere" at that meeting and approved a plan to remove anyone being disruptive at the Thursday night meeting.
Hydraulic fracturing has become a controversial topic around the world as natural gas production enjoys a boom, but opponents say the injection of water, sand and chemicals used to break apart shale rock and release natural gas can pollute water and present health problems to livestock and people.
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