Democrats were big winners on Tuesday, reclaiming the U.S. House of Representatives and winning a handful of state legislatures and governor’s mansions. But the oil and gas industry was also victorious, beating back a handful of closely-watched ballot initiatives with a tidal wave of cash. The two most significant voter initiatives were in Colorado and Washington State. In Colorado, voters rejected a proposal that would have increased the setback distances for oil and gas drilling operations to 2,500 feet, up from the current 500 feet. The industry warned that the regulation presented an existential threat to drilling in Colorado, potentially putting about 85 percent of acreage off limits to drilling. Supporters of the setback distances cited air and water pollution, as well as the safety hazards of living so close to drilling operations. In the end, spending on advertising and campaign messaging was lopsided , and the industry made […]