I would like to thank the Times-Call for its thorough and fair coverage of the Longmont City Council meeting on Tuesday. I am particularly pleased that Mr. Fryar took the time and the paper allocated the space to explain the parliamentary procedure around the consent agenda and the first and second reading of bills.
Had the people from East Boulder County United understood as much, they would have given themselves more time to state their beliefs rather than repeating calls for removing the bill from the consent agenda. They would not have believed themselves to be "tricked" or left before hearing the council discuss how the bill was arrived at and what motivated the council to instruct the staff to enter into the agreement. They would have learned that the agreement secured important protections for Longmont residents, and that the City Council considers ensuring the safety of its people to be its highest duty.
While activists can make the personal choice to put themselves in danger in the cause of what they protest, the city cannot make that choice on behalf of its residents. When we can negotiate to move drilling outside the city and have flow lines closed and wells plugged and abandoned inside the city, we would be remiss not to do it. Had drilling rigs appeared on the west side of Union Reservoir near the swim beach, the protests from our residents would have been even louder — and much better justified.
Colorado law does not permit a municipality to prevent a mineral-rights owner or lessee from exercising those rights. If Longmont tried to refuse, we would have been forced into a less advantageous arrangement, and drilling would have proceeded anyway. That's what "forced pooling" means. This makes me as angry as anyone, but my anger doesn't prevent me from doing my duty.
Marcia Martin
Member, Ward 2
Longmont City Council