Mora County was the first county in the United States to ban the practice of fracking. But, last week, commissioners there unanimously voted to overturn the ban.
Last week’s vote repealed a 2013 ordinance passed by the county commission that said fracking was a violation of the community’s right to clean air and water.
Energy companies filed several lawsuits over the ordinance in federal court, saying the measure infringed on the rights of landowners to develop mineral resources on their property.
An energy industry representative from one group suing the county told the Albuquerque Journal she expected the lawsuit would be dropped following the commission’s vote to repeal the law.
