Boulder County files lawsuit against Oil & Gas Commission, 8 North

LAFAYETTE — Boulder County’s attorney filed a lawsuit against the Colorado Oil & Gas Commission and oil and gas operator 8 North LLC.

The city of Lafayette is also a plaintiff in the complaint.

The lawsuit appeals the COGCC’s approval of 8 North’s application for drilling and spacing units and additional well density in two areas of eastern Boulder County. Both Lafayette and unincorporated Boulder County would be affected, the lawsuit claims.

SPONSORED CONTENT

Business Cares: April 2024

In Colorado, 1 in 3 women, 1 in 3 men and 1 in 2 transgender individuals will experience an attempted or completed sexual assault in their lifetime. During April, we recognize Sexual Assault Awareness Month with the hopes of increasing conversations about this very important issue.

The county claims that the COGCC made numerous errors in approving the applications. One complaint is that 8 North did not adequately establish that it owns the mineral rights it claims to have.

“Over the objection of Boulder County and Lafayette, the Commission improperly admitted and improperly relied upon summary and hearsay evidence of mineral ownership that did not comport with Commission Rules …,” the complaint states.

What is more, the plaintiffs also allege that the approval was contrary to state statute and that the Commission’s rules for establishing drilling units are flawed. Even though 8 North indicated that the well pad sites for the approved units would not be in Boulder County, but rather Weld County and Erie, the county is concerned about the effect the pads would have on the Boulder Valley’s residents and environmental resources.

The full complaint can be read online.