
A decision by Colorado state regulators to put two multiwell oil and gas proposals on hold showcased the growing influence of Denver-area antidrilling groups that have organized over the last decade in the face of large fossil fuel developments proposed on the outskirts of their suburban neighborhoods.
Colorado’s Energy & Carbon Management Commission in November rejected a controversial request by Extraction Oil & Gas Inc. to build a 26-well oil operation, known as the Draco pad, in fossil fuel friendly Weld County and use it as a platform to drill under the town of Erie, which has fought to keep its land free from gas and oil extraction.