The Boulder County commissioners were so taken aback by the conduct of anti-fracking protesters at a hearing Tuesday that they have announced a new security plan for future meetings on the matter.
The plan, outlined by the commissioners in a public statement Wednesday, calls for the removal of individuals who “elect not to participate in civil discourse,” and the prosecution of people who threaten the safety of others at meetings.
The statement condemns the “bullying atmosphere” the board says was created by anti-fracking activists at Tuesday’s hearing at the Boulder County Courthouse.
The meeting was held to discuss proposed oil and gas regulations, including those that would govern the drilling technique known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. Its start was delayed for more than half an hour when protesters began chanting their opposition and demanding the commissioners resign if they refused to ban fracking.
Commissioners Will Toor, Cindy Domenico and Deb Gardner left the hearing room while the demonstrations were under way, even as some protesters yelled after them.
Upon returning, Domenico, chairwoman of the board, asked the crowd to “behave in a manner that is respectful” so the board would have a chance to hear everyone who wanted to speak.
“In my mind, the fundamental problem with the hearing we had last night was the behavior of a certain subset of the folks who were there that were really determined to intimidate anyone who had a different perspective,” Toor said Wednesday. “In order to have a democratic process, you have to have an environment where everyone is able to safely express their opinions.”
Other “troubling” behavior cited by the board in its statement included jeering of Wendy Wiedenbeck, a Denver-based community relations adviser for Encana Oil and Gas USA, during her presentation at the meeting and the “mob harassment, cursing and intimidation” some protesters engaged in as they followed Wiedenbeck to her car later.
“Suppressing alternative comments and shutting out voices through intimidation and fear is not part of the democratic process we hold dear,” the commissioners’ statement read. “Last night’s effort by a small segment of attendees to threaten and intimidate a speaker walking to her car was nothing short of shameful. Public hearings should create a space for everyone to feel comfortable to participate.”
Wiedenbeck, and Encana employee since 2004, said in an email that she has attended hundreds of public hearings on behalf of the company and has never encountered as much harassment as she did Tuesday. Even after trying to leave the area, she said, protesters followed her, blocked the path of her car and pounded on her windows.
“In my opinion, (the protesters’ goal) was to intimidate and perhaps even to harm. It certainly felt that way,” she wrote in her email. “It crosses a dangerous and ridiculous line when people believe that they have the right to treat another person that way. Does this group speak for the community of Boulder? I certainly hope not.”
Boulder police were called to the scene after the meeting and took a report regarding the harassment, according to the city’s online police blotter.
The commissioners are next scheduled to discuss the county’s oil and gas rules Dec. 13, when they could vote to approve or deny them.
