After hours of testimony Monday, the House State Affairs committee moved forward legislation aimed at expanding local control over oil and gas operations. Majority Democrats on the committee voted for the bill. Minority Republicans voted against it. It was just the latest battle in the long war being fought nearly every week now in the state over expanded drilling in the era of urban and suburban hydraulic fracturing.

And House Bill 1355, sponsored by Reps. Mike Foote, D-Lafayette, and Su Ryden, D-Aurora, faces certain death in the Republican-controlled Senate.

In the divided legislature, the status quo has remained mostly in tact, with the powerful drilling industry enjoying wide latitude for its operations in the state. But the fact that the industry has been forced to continue mounting political and communications defenses is another signal to many that the conversation over fossil fuel drilling has changed.

Members of business and environmental groups who testified Monday echoed arguments made at the Capitol for years. Supporters of the bills spoke about the need for residents to have more power to shape activity in their neighborhoods, towns and cities. They noted that no other industry in the state can conduct operations with such little regard for local zoning regulations. Opponents argued that the industry is well-regulated and that safety concerns are misplaced and based on misinformation.

“I’ve been at this for about five years since these issues started bubbling up, so to speak,” Ryden said. “(This bill will) help us to try and make it possible for our local citizens to have more of a say about their health, safety and property values.”

Representatives of drilling companies and business groups enumerated rules regulating oil and gas operations on the state level and argued that more local control would hurt the Colorado economy.

“We’re disappointed that, despite broad and diverse opposition, including opposition from Governor Hickenlooper’s Administration, HB 1355 passed on a partisan vote,” said Doug Flanders, director of policy for the Colorado Oil and Gas Association. “HB 1355 is open-ended and an overreach in many respects as the current Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission rules provide ample opportunities for local government involvement in the siting of oil and gas operations.”

Rep. Cole Wist, R-Centennial, said local governments don’t have the technical expertise to make informed decisions about drilling operations. He said more tax dollars would have t be spent on outside consultants.

The election-year battle will continue.

— ramsey@coloradostatesman.com