Anti-fracking groups sue Broomfield to stop Extraction drilling

BROOMFIELD — Citizens opposed to planned drilling by Extraction Oil & Gas have sued the city and county of Broomfield, as well as City Manager Charles Ozaki, to reverse the city’s approval of the plan.

The Denver Business Journal reports that WildEarth Guardians and Resident Rights filed suit in Broomfield County Court to overturn the September approval of Extraction’s plans to drill to drill 84 wells on the northern edge of the city. The approval dropped a requirement that Extraction pay for a third-party study on health and safety risks before drilling could occur.

Instead, the city approved the drilling plan and agreed to pay for the study itself while Extraction began work on the drilling sites.

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The lawsuit contends that the approval violated an earlier agreement between the city and Extraction, and that changes to the earlier agreement occurred in secret meetings that violated open-meetings laws.