Oil and Gas Development

• March 19 - City  Council approved an Operator Agreement between the City and Prospect Energy. This agreement will govern the existing operations and any new wells drilled in Fort Collins on land currently owned or leased by Prospect Energy. Read the agenda item
• March 5 - City Council adopted a ban on hydraulic fracturing and the storage of hydraulic fracturing chemicals within the City of Fort Collins. City Council also adopted a resolution directing staff to take specific steps in support of the City of Longmont in their lawsuit against the State of Colorado. Read the agenda item.
• December 18 - City Council approved a 7-month moratorium on new oil and gas permits in Fort Collins and on land owned by the City outside the incorporated limits that will extend from December 28, 2012 until July 31, 2013. Read the agenda item. 

The City of Fort Collins is in the process of reviewing and updating its land use regulations concerning oil and gas exploration and developing options for mitigating impacts upon the community within the City’s Growth Management Area.  This is a complex and controversial issue that will require involvement and input from Fort Collins residents, the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC), oil and gas industry representatives, and interested stakeholders including homeowners, environmental groups, and others.

The City’s goal is to develop strategy and tools that best reflect Fort Collins’ community values. In order to accomplish the best outcome, staff will engage residents through an extensive public engagement process, as well as work with any current operators in the City and with the COGCC. Staff will also utilize resources available through Colorado State University and research other Colorado community efforts to understand lessons they have learned.

Fort Collins City Council has adopted a 7-month moratorium on accepting new oil and gas permits ending July 31, 2013.

• City staff is developing land use regulations
• City staff and Prospect Energy are developing an Operator Agreement to allow continued use of the company’s existing wells and well pads.

Oil and gas drilling and production is a broad and complex issue.  Below are a few  resources that may be useful:

• Oil and gas development in Colorado is regulated primarily by the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC). Visit their website and click on the GENERAL tab located on the left side of the screen to review a list of “Typically asked Questions."

• National Geographic offers an interactive presentation on the hydraulic fracturing process.  

• In 2004, the EPA provided a technical study entitled Evaluation of Impacts to Underground Sources of Drinking Water by Hydraulic Fracturing of Coalbed Methane Reservoirs Study on the impacts to drinking water wells from hydraulic fracturing. 

• The State of Colorado Department of Natural Resources' Division of Wildlife is working with the oil and gas industry to protect wildlife and mitigate the impacts of oil and gas drilling. 

• The United States Geological Society (USGS) has published information regarding the technically recoverable oil and gas resources in the Denver Basin Province entitled Gas, Oil, and Water Production from Wattenberg Field in the Denver Basin, Colorado (PDF)

• Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) created an information page because of the public’s interest in and concern about the potential impacts of fracking on public health and the environment, including surface and ground water resources.