Still bristling at an ultimatum last month from the Colorado attorney general to Boulder County over its moratorium on oil and gas development, two Democratic senators representing the county voted today against additional funding for the AG’s office.

It was a largely symbolic gesture by state Sens. Matt Jones, D-Louisville, and Steve Fenberg, D-Boulder, as the state Senate’s Republican majority approved the routine supplemental appropriation for the office of Republican Attorney General Cynthia Coffman. But the senators wanted to make clear they are steamed at Coffman for her letter to Boulder County officials last month demanding it lift its oil-and-gas moratorium in compliance with a court ruling last year.

The Senate Democratic press office released a joint statement by Fenberg and Jones after the vote on the Senate floor:

“By sending her letter threatening a local community for just trying to protects its families health, safety, and property, the Attorney General is using the power of her office, and money belonging to the taxpayers, to threaten legal action against some of those very same taxpayers. What is worse, the Attorney General is threatening this local community with legal action at the behest of oil and gas companies.”

“On this day, February 10, the day the Attorney General gave for Boulder County to meet her ultimatum, we are voting no on Senate Bill 165, which is a supplemental budget appropriation to the Attorney General’s department. If the Attorney General is going to use taxpayer money to sue taxpayers, we cannot in good conscience vote ‘Yes’ on a supplemental budget appropriation to the Attorney General’s department.”

Boulder County’s ban on new oil and gas drilling permits was implemented by county commissioners in 2012 and most recently extended this past December.

In a Jan. 26 letter to the Boulder County commissioners, Coffman said the continued moratorium violates state law, particularly in light of recent Colorado Supreme Court rulings.

“In two decisions issued just last year, the Colorado Supreme Court made clear that local governments may not prohibit oil and gas development at the local level,” Coffman stated in her letter.

The letter threatened “appropriate legal action” if Boulder County did not lift the ban by today. However, Boulder county officials wrote Coffman back Jan. 27 stating the county will stay the course and not comply with her demand pending development of its own rules for oil and gas exploration inside county limits. The county’s most recent extension of its moratorium is set to expire May 1.