News

Actions

Boulder County refuses to repeal drilling moratorium early

Boulder County refuses to repeal drilling moratorium early
Posted at 3:58 PM, Jan 29, 2017
and last updated 2017-01-29 17:58:24-05

LONGMONT, Colo. (AP) -- Boulder County says it wouldn't be responsible to repeal its moratorium on oil and gas development until it passes up-to-date drilling regulations.

The Longmont Times-Call reports that Boulder County attorney Ben Pearlman asked Attorney General Cynthia Coffman in a letter on Friday to reconsider her call for the county to rescind its moratorium on new oil and gas applications by Feb. 10. The moratorium is set to expire May 1 and county commissioners are scheduled to consider a final draft of the regulations in March.

The county originally instituted the moratorium in 2012 and has extended it several times.

Coffman says it amounts to a ban and suspects the county will extend it.

Last year, the state Supreme Court ruled against Fort Collins' five-year ban on drilling involving hydraulic fracturing.

---------

Sign up for Denver7 email alerts to stay informed about breaking news and daily headlines.

Or, keep up-to-date by following Denver7 on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.