House bill aims for cities with fracking bans to compensate mineral owners

A bill in the state Legislature would require cities and counties that impose bans on hydraulic fracturing to compensate mineral owners for the lost value of their property.

Rep. Perry Buck, D-Windsor, introduced House Bill 1119 this week. The measure states that any government that passes a ban on hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, must pay a mineral owner for the value of royalties not received due to the prohibition.

“A government should not be able to take a person’s property without just compensation,” Buck said. “I’m hopeful this bill will be passed to give Colorado property owners adequate protections or fair compensation…