Awaiting a fracking ban

Organizers of the grassroots group Frack-Free Butte County are waiting to hear whether their petition to enact a county-wide ban on fracking will qualify for the November ballot.

The group moved forward with the initiative despite the Butte County Board of Supervisors’ vote on April 8 to direct staff to begin drafting an ordinance that would ban fracking, a controversial method of oil extraction. To qualify for the ballot, Frack-Free had to submit 7,560 valid signatures to the Butte County Clerk-Recorder’s Office by June 5, but went a step further by submitting more than 10,000 signatures, according to a press release.

Julie Merrell, an administrative assistant for the clerk-recorder, said staff is still finishing work on the primary election and has yet to begin processing the initiative, but must verify the signatures within 30 days of submission.