The City of Fort Collins is set to file an opening brief in its appeal of a hydraulic fracturing moratorium struck down in 2014 by a state judge. The Feb. 6 deadline for the filing marked an early step in a case whose final decision likely will not come for several months, said the city's attorney's office.
The Fort Collins case is just one of many bans or moratoriums passed, sued over, and struck down since 2012, when Longmont became the first Colorado town to institute a ban on hydraulic fracturing. As new bans are passed and lawsuits against those votes have wound their way through the courts, it's become a little difficult to keep track of the standing of various bans and moratoriums.
For reference, KUNC has put together a chart tracking the status of drilling or fracking bans or moratoriums in Northern Colorado.
Some things not included in the chart: Longmont, whose ban was struck down, successfully implemented very strict regulations on oil and gas development in town limits. Other municipalities, like Gunnison and La Plata County, have also successfully put strict regulations in place without a moratorium or ban.
The issue of local control over drilling is ongoing; the governor's task force on this topic will submit a report to the legislature Feb. 24, 2015.
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