COGA Agrees to Drop Lawsuit Against Longmont Frack Ban

The Colorado Oil and Gas Association is dropping its lawsuit against Longmont over regulations the city council approved in 2012. The Longmont Times-Call reports COGA and the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission sued after the council OK'd regulations that were more stringent than the state's. On Tuesday, COGA President and CEO Tisha Schuller says the association agreed to dismiss its claims because the only driller in Longmont already has an agreement with the city and because the courts have made it clear that local regulations don't trump state law. Also Tuesday, a Boulder County district judge ordered that there would be no hydraulic fracturing - or fracking - in Longmont as the city appeals a lawsuit over the fracking ban passed by voters in 2012.