Published: November 18, 2013<\/h6>\nIt\u2019s not very often that someone starts his career as a geologist and then winds up as governor, but John Hickenlooper,\u00a0the governor of Colorado<\/a>, can make that claim. \u201cWe had fracking when I was a working geologist in 1981,\u201d he told me on Monday. \u201cIt was very primitive. What really changed the world is when we got horizontal drilling. It was a technique that allowed you to recover a lot more natural gas.\u201d<\/span><\/a><\/h6>\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/graphics8.nytimes.com\/images\/2012\/01\/27\/opinion\/Nocera_New\/Nocera_New-articleInline-v2.jpg\")
<\/div>\nFred R. Conrad\/The New York Times<\/h6>\n
Joe Nocera\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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\u201cBut,\u201d he added, almost poignantly, \u201cit\u2019s been polarizing.\u201d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s for sure. During the last election two weeks ago,\u00a0four Colorado communities<\/a>\u00a0voted to ban hydraulic fracturing (to use the proper terminology). A fifth town, Longmont, voted against fracking a year ago,\u00a0resulting in a lawsuit<\/a>brought by the oil and gas industry and\u00a0joined by the State of Colorado<\/a>. It is a state where the owner of a parcel of land\u00a0doesn\u2019t necessarily own the mineral rights<\/a>underground, which is a source of enormous tension. Colorado has\u00a0tens of thousands of wells<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 an economic boon \u2014 and also some of the most vocal anti-fracking activists in the country.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nFred R. Conrad\/The New York Times<\/h6>\n
Joe Nocera\n<\/p><\/div>\n
Go to Columnist Page \u00bb<\/a><\/h6>\n<\/div>\n\nJoe Nocera’s Blog \u00bb<\/a><\/h6>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\nConnect With Us on Twitter<\/h4>\n
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\u201cBut,\u201d he added, almost poignantly, \u201cit\u2019s been polarizing.\u201d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s for sure. During the last election two weeks ago,\u00a0four Colorado communities<\/a>\u00a0voted to ban hydraulic fracturing (to use the proper terminology). A fifth town, Longmont, voted against fracking a year ago,\u00a0resulting in a lawsuit<\/a>brought by the oil and gas industry and\u00a0joined by the State of Colorado<\/a>. It is a state where the owner of a parcel of land\u00a0doesn\u2019t necessarily own the mineral rights<\/a>underground, which is a source of enormous tension. Colorado has\u00a0tens of thousands of wells<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 an economic boon \u2014 and also some of the most vocal anti-fracking activists in the country.<\/p>\n
Joe Nocera’s Blog \u00bb<\/a><\/h6>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\nConnect With Us on Twitter<\/h4>\n
For Op-Ed, follow@nytopinion<\/a>\u00a0and to hear from the editorial page editor, Andrew Rosenthal, follow@andyrNYT<\/a>.\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\nReaders\u2019 Comments<\/h3>\n\nShare your thoughts.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
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\u201cBut,\u201d he added, almost poignantly, \u201cit\u2019s been polarizing.\u201d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s for sure. During the last election two weeks ago,\u00a0four Colorado communities<\/a>\u00a0voted to ban hydraulic fracturing (to use the proper terminology). A fifth town, Longmont, voted against fracking a year ago,\u00a0resulting in a lawsuit<\/a>brought by the oil and gas industry and\u00a0joined by the State of Colorado<\/a>. It is a state where the owner of a parcel of land\u00a0doesn\u2019t necessarily own the mineral rights<\/a>underground, which is a source of enormous tension. Colorado has\u00a0tens of thousands of wells<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 an economic boon \u2014 and also some of the most vocal anti-fracking activists in the country.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nConnect With Us on Twitter<\/h4>\n
For Op-Ed, follow@nytopinion<\/a>\u00a0and to hear from the editorial page editor, Andrew Rosenthal, follow@andyrNYT<\/a>.\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Share your thoughts.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n \u201cBut,\u201d he added, almost poignantly, \u201cit\u2019s been polarizing.\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s for sure. During the last election two weeks ago,\u00a0four Colorado communities<\/a>\u00a0voted to ban hydraulic fracturing (to use the proper terminology). A fifth town, Longmont, voted against fracking a year ago,\u00a0resulting in a lawsuit<\/a>brought by the oil and gas industry and\u00a0joined by the State of Colorado<\/a>. It is a state where the owner of a parcel of land\u00a0doesn\u2019t necessarily own the mineral rights<\/a>underground, which is a source of enormous tension. Colorado has\u00a0tens of thousands of wells<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 an economic boon \u2014 and also some of the most vocal anti-fracking activists in the country.<\/p>\nReaders\u2019 Comments<\/h3>\n
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