In an effort to halt the advance of the in Colorado, environmental activists said they submitted enough signatures on Monday to place on November’s ballot two initiatives aimed at severely limiting hydraulic fracturing.

If either measure passes, it would represent the most serious political effort yet in the United States to stop hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, the technique used to blast through shale and other hard rocks with water, sand and chemicals to release oil and .

One of the Colorado ballot initiatives would establish local control over oil and gas operations, including fracking, while the other would prohibit drilling and fracking in a buffer zone 2,500 feet around occupied buildings, waterways and open public spaces like parks. That could effectively prohibit new exploration and production in as much as 95 percent of the surface area of the state’s five top petroleum- and gas-producing counties, according to Colorado regulators.

The Colorado secretary of state’s office has 30 days to authenticate the signatures, and challenges are considered probable. If the signatures hold up, oil industry officials say the contest should be a close, hard-fought battle.

With the exception of New York State, which has banned fracking for its relatively modest reserves, few oil- and gas-producing states have put up any serious barriers to the practice.

Led by a coalition of environmental organizations, activists fanned out across the state to collect signatures. They argue that local communities should have the right to limit fracking, which they say pollutes the air and jeopardizes local water supplies. Some 98,500 signatures are needed to get on the ballot. Activists said they submitted more than 100,000 signatures for each initiative.

“At stake is the people’s right to say no to fracking in their communities, the people’s right to protect their well-being and safety and their families from industrial development in their backyards,” said Jason Schwartz, a spokesman for Greenpeace.

Business groups have begun a concerted effort to oppose the initiatives, raising more than $13 million. Anadarko Petroleum and Noble Energy, the two oil companies that stand to lose the most, have each contributed $5 million or more to the opposition campaign. Opponents have cited a recent study by the University of Colorado that warned that the more stringent initiative — the one that would create buffers — could cost the state 54,000 jobs between 2017 and 2021, and decrease state and local tax revenue.

“This is bigger than any individual company,” said John M. Christiansen, an Anadarko vice president. “These potential ballot measures would carry massive consequences for Colorado’s economy, public education, public services and every consumer.”

The nation’s shale boom of recent years has made Colorado one of the fastest-growing energy producers. Between 2004 and 2014, oil production in the state quadrupled, according to the Energy Department, although it is now slowing because of the slump in prices. The state’s vast Niobrara shale field contains an estimated two billion barrels of oil, making it one of the nation’s largest.

The propositions could also have an effect on the presidential race in Colorado, which is considered a swing state.

Divisions on the issue cross party lines.

Donald J. Trump, the Republican nominee, told a Denver television station last week that he supported fracking but, in a break with the oil industry and many state Republicans, he suggested that localities should have a say in the matter. “There’s some areas, maybe, they don’t want to have fracking,” Mr. Trump said. “And I think if the voters are voting for it, that’s up to them.”

Hillary Clinton, his Democratic rival, has argued in favor of tight regulations on fracking and supported the right of states and localities to prohibit it.

Gov. John Hickenlooper, a Democrat, has opposed a ban on fracking and in the past has encouraged compromise. Representative Jared Polis, also a Democrat, has donated $25,000 to a group that supports local controls on oil and gas operations.

Efforts to put the initiatives on the ballot have been in the works for two years, and were energized by the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision in May to of local prohibitions as illegitimate infringements on the right of the state to regulate oil and gas exploration and production.