The Colorado Supreme Court May 2 blocked efforts by some Front Range cities to impose limits, moratoriums, and bans on energy development through hydraulic fracturing, ruling the state holds ultimate regulatory authority and supercedes local legislation, which the court characterized as "invalid and unenforceable." The court rejected a five-year moratorium on hydraulic fracturing passed by the city of Fort Collins, concluding the measure operationally conflicted with state law and was preempted by state rules that allow some drilling in neighborhoods. Justices also overturned Long-mont's 2012 ban on hydraulic fracturing and disposal of waste in the city because "it materially impedes" state authority.
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