Boulder settles with mineral-rights holders for $35K

The city of Boulder will pay $35,000 to a couple who own mineral right in the city, settling a lawsuit filed by the couple last year. According to the Boulder Daily Camera, John and Valorie Wells own the rights to minerals under land owned by the city near Boulder Reservoir, and were plaintiffs in the suit that alleged that the ban on oil and gas development formerly imposed by Boulder violated the Fifth Amendment provision that prohibits taking private property without compensation.