Boulder County Commissioners voted Tuesday against extending the county’s moratorium on new oil and gas drilling permit applications.
The proposal would have extended the moratorium for 2 more years. The temporary moratorium was established in February of 2012 and was extended twice, most recently in January of this year.
The moratorium is scheduled to expire June 10.
According to the Times-Call, the commissioners have decided to limit the numbers and locations of new well sites that will be allowed.
Commissioner Cindy Domenico noted that state laws and court rulings have given the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, rather than individual counties, the predominant authority to regulate oil and gas development and have limited local governments' ability to adopt rules stricter than the state's regulations.
Other Colorado cities' ability to regulate drilling have been questioned. The city of Longmont was sued by the state because of their moratorium on oil and gas drilling. Fort Collins also has a moratorium in place, though no lawsuit is pending.
