Some Background:

• 2013: in anticipation of large scale fracking projects being approved by state regulators, Broomfield voters passed a five-year moratorium on fracking.
• 2016: the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that local communities could not ban oil and gas development, because state laws pre-empt local laws. This decision invalidated Broomfield’s five-year fracking moratorium.
• 2016: Broomfield City Council negotiated with Extraction O&G company to consolidate 31 wells on 10 drilling sites to 4 mega-pads with a total of 139 wells. 
• 2017: concerned citizens launched a campaign to give the city more control over oil and gas development and voters passed ballot initiative 301.
• 2018: under threats of legal action by Extraction O&G, the city eventually approved a drilling plan for 84 new fracking wells. Environmental groups filed multiple lawsuits but were not successful. Extraction O&G attempted to “force pool” residents into leasing their mineral rights against their will – residents sued regulators and lost.
• 2019: first year after the SB19-181 law was passed, a slate of 5 anti-fracking city council candidates won election promising to better protect residents.  During a 6 month moratorium, stricter local oil & gas regulations were passed including extensive air, water and soil monitoring and a ban on using PFAS chemicals in fracking operations. Drilling started at multiple locations in Broomfield.
• 2020: state law SB19-181 required new wells to be at least 2000ft from homes, however these rules do not apply to previously permitted wells, so many homes in Broomfield are much closer than 2000ft to oil and gas operations.
• 2021: after hundreds of noise and health complaints per month, Broomfield city council filed noise ordinance rules to prohibit oil and gas operations noise from 10p-7a and issued multiple citations.  After counter-suing, Extraction agreed to pay $273k and take additional noise mitigation actions.
• As of November 2025: Broomfield has 92 producing wells, 10 being drilled, 7 approved to drill, 23 shut in (can be restarted any time), and 121 plugged/abandoned wells that will require maintenance and inspections forever.  

Here’s The Latest:

• Ongoing: oil and gas operations have continued amidst thousands of community complaints about air pollution, health problems, noise, odor, safety, and the proximity of drilling to homes, schools, hospitals, water sources etc.
• Oil & gas onslaught: In the years when new fracking operations were ramped up (2020-2024), only 4 other counties in Colorado extracted more oil than Broomfield County – despite suburban Broomfield being Colorado’s smallest county – only 34 square miles in size!  Prior to 2019, Broomfield consistently ranked among the lowest oil producing counties in Colorado.  
• Numerous leaks, toxic air pollution spikes and fires have occurred in Broomfield:
  • 2019: high methane soil readings in a new neighborhood being constructed in Anthem Highlands lead to the discovery of an abandoned well that was improperly plugged in 2003 and that was leaking. Construction of homes halted while the well was dug up and re-plugged.
  • 2021: Broomfield’s ground-level air monitors recorded dozens of benzene spikes over the allowable health standards.
  • 2022: large black smoke plume and flame was reported over Northwest A pad, police and fire were dispatched, Civitas had not alerted the public.