OREANDA-NEWS. Voter initiatives that aimed to restrict the use of hydraulic fracturing in Colorado failed to get the needed number of signatures to qualify for the November ballot, state officials said today.

Neither of the proposed ballot measures cleared the threshold of 98,492 valid signatures — equal to the 5pc of votes cast in the latest statewide election. The measures would have allowed local governments to restrict oil and gas development within their borders and would have imposed a minimum distance of 0.5 mile (800m) between new oil and gas wells and any occupied structure.

The coalition of activists, called Yes for Health and Safety, submitted more than 100,000 signatures for each initiative. But a review by Colorado's secretary of state determined that only about 80pc of signatures were valid. The coalition has 30 days to appeal the decision.

The secretary of state also identified potentially forged signatures for one of the petitions and referred them to the state attorney general for investigation.

"We will be conducting our own investigation into the data and considering all of the options," the anti-fracturing coalition said.

"Coloradans have sent a clear message that they do not want to resolve these complex issues at the ballot box," the Colorado Oil and Gas Association said. The industry group said that the minimum setback requirement would place 90pc of Colorado off limits to exploration.

Colorado crude production reached a record 327,000 b/d last year, according to the US Energy Information Administration, up from 90,000 b/d in 2010. Marketed natural gas output in the same period increased by 11pc, to 4.6 Bcf/d in 2015.