Blue Paintbrush well pad slated for closed-door council session

Longmont City Council will hold an executive session on Tuesday to discuss a state proceeding for an oil and gas well proposed east of the city.

According to the agenda, the council will discuss the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission’s proceeding on the Blue Paintbrush well pad in Weld County and other oil and gas operations in the city. The public is not permitted in executive sessions.

The well pad, operated by Extraction Oil and Gas, sits 1,000 feet east of the Boulder County line near Longmont on land that includes a Boulder County-owned conservation easement. Extraction filed an application with the state in July to require Boulder County to pool its mineral rights, known as “forced pooling.”

That state will hold a hearing Jan. 25 to see if Boulder County will have to allow the fracking of their minerals despite rejecting Extraction’s offer last month.

Following Tuesday’s executive session, which begins at 5:30 p.m., the council will hold a regular session meeting.