Lafayette and Boulder County have until late October to decide whether to appeal the decision to the Colorado Court of Appeals.

Boulder County, Colo. - A Denver District Court judge has upheld decisions by the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission to approve oil and gas development applications by 8 North, LLC.

In 2017, 8 North filed applications for two drilling units where it would operate a 32-well pad on the Weld County side of the Weld/Boulder border and a 20-well pad in Erie.

After a contested hearing, the COGCC approved all of 8 North’s applications. The City of Lafayette and Boulder County appealed the COGCC’s decisions because of deficiencies in the COGCC’s decision-making process. The city and the county argued, among other issues, the COGCC should have required that 8 North provide written proof that it owned mineral interests in the units rather than merely relying on testimony from a company employee.

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The Boulder County Commissioners have stated that the court’s decision will not impact Boulder County’s ongoing efforts to update regulations, including having the current moratorium in place, and that the county will continue to exert all efforts to actively protect Boulder County residents' health and the environment.

Lafayette and Boulder County have until late October to decide whether to appeal the District Court’s decision to the Colorado Court of Appeals.