Larimer COUNTY: A Community Fights Neighborhood Fracking

CURRENT STATUS OF
fracking IN LOVELAND:

HOW WE GOT HERE:

  • 2019: Initial applications to drill 29 wells in the Centerra area were submitted but withdrawn during the pandemic’s O&G downturn and because of stricter oil & gas laws passed in 2020.
  • 2022: City of Loveland received an application for 15 fracking wells at the Centerra East (CE) site, next to the Kinston housing development, Medical center of the Rockies, 3 schools and several lakes.  The application was approved with 23 additional conditions designed to be more protective than the state rules at the time. 
  • 2023: City of Loveland passed a 6 month moratorium on O&G permits to allow it to update it’s regulations.  The moratorium did not affect the CE pad which was already conditionally approved.
  • 2023: State regulators (ECMC) approved the CE permit and the final work site permit was issued in September 2024 despite vigorous opposition from residents and elected officials. 
  • 2023: Developers withdrew the application for the Centerra South (CS) well pad for 11 fracking wells.  The proposed drill site was adjacent to Loveland Sports Park, schools, and proposed homes/retail space with horizontal wellbores extending under existing homes and open space.  The CS fracking project faced significant opposition from the community. 
  • 2024-2025: The CE Pad’s 15 fracking wells were drilled and fracked by new owner Bison IV and started producing oil and gas in August of 2025. Details from operator here. This site is expected to operate for ~30 years before it is cleaned up and “reclaimed.”

Oil and Gas WELLS IN LARIMER COUNTY:

View Zoom-able Map

TAKE ACTION:

FILE A COMPLAINT:

Share your concerns about current oil and gas activity with Colorado State O&G Regulators (ECMC).  File a complaint about noise, smells, lights, operating hours, truck traffic, dust, vibrations, health issues etc.

Contact ECMC

Contact local government:

ORGANIZE WITH OTHERS:

Groups for residents who are concerned about the neighborhood fracking operations in Larimer County, Loveland, Fort Collins.

Join Here
Join Here
Join Here
Join Here

LEARN MORE ABOUT FRACKING:

Learn how fracking works, understand the terms, watch informative webinars. See how oil and gas operations impact air quality and communities’ heath & safety – even at great distances from well sites.  Get informed about effects on our economy, home values, and environment.

GET INFO

AMPLIFY YOUR VOICE:

Writing a letter to the editor (LTE) of your local newspaper helps educate your neighbors… puts pressure on your elected officials… makes a bigger difference!  Use our LTE Toolkit below for talking points, writing tips, submission guidelines etc. Then contact us if you want help proofreading your letter.

LTE TOOLKIT

FILE A COMPLAINT:

Share your concerns about current oil and gas activity with Colorado State O&G Regulators (ECMC).  File a complaint about noise, smells, lights, operating hours, truck traffic, dust, vibrations, health issues etc.

Contact ECMC

“Today it’s my neighborhood, but tomorrow it’s yours”

– Laura L

LARIMER COUNTY IN THE NEWS:
Air Quality

Stricter Rules Coming for Gas Pipeline Leaks & Repairs

After many years of legal fights and delays, more protective rules governing Colorado’s natural gas pipelines are finally on the way.  New Colorado laws enacted in 2021 required the state to come up with better oversight of the increasing numbers of pipelines from new drilling operations and for the new homes and businesses expanding into

Read More »
December 29, 2025
Air Quality

Longtime Polluter Prospect Energy Booted from Colorado, Must Clean up Sites

Larimer County, Fort Collins and the state oil and gas regulators have come to an agreement to finally end years of flagrant violations and illegal activity by Prospect Energy oil and gas company.  Prospect has repeatedly violated state laws, caused oil and gas spills, leaked toxic chemicals into the air, and flared and burned excess

Read More »
August 27, 2024
Click here FOR MORE LARIMER COUNTY NEWS

RALLIES IN LARIMER COUNTY:

Loveland rally
march 12th, 2022

Keep Centerra Beautiful Rally
April 23rd, 2022

QUOTES FROM THE COMMUNITY:

Being A Steward​
We must all be stewards of our environment, which includes protecting our local environmental resources. Being a steward also includes meaningful and honest engagement with one another about our local environmental concerns. McWhinney must be held accountable for his lack of transparency with our community. We must question his true intentions. We must protect our environment.

– M. McCafferty
Like Heaven​
My husband and I moved to Loveland from Highlands Ranch, Colorado.  We had driven through Loveland on the way to Estes Park and we fell in love with the beautiful community that was full of sparkling lakes, mountain views, friendly people,  a downtown area that had a cool artistic vibe with great local restaurants and shops.  After extensive research we narrowed the search to the Boyd Lake area.  It has been like heaven with the stunning views, fishing, swimming, and some of the best neighbors ever. We are huge fans of our community and when we moved here we even did the “Loveland Valentine’s thing” and recommitted our wedding vows at the Foote Lagoon!  Now we can even say that we were married in Loveland!

- Melissa 
Since 2008​
My husband and I moved to this neighborhood in 2008 because it was marketed as a "suburbitat." Meaning that most people in High Plains Village either have no yard, or a very small one because our HOA pays for the maintenance of the trails around the lakes. The houses were marketed as all high efficiency green star homes (in 2008 this was new), and were told about the High Plains Environmental Center, and how they were planning a STEM school nearby where the kids could do field trips to the lakes. There is a community garden here that donates food to the foodbank. We were told about the lakes being a bird sanctuary, and we wanted to live somewhere where nature and humans can live together in harmony. This neighborhood was that dream for many years. We are close to everything, and when you are out on the trails you feel like you are close to nothing. We were sold a bill of lies, because Troy was already plotting to frack even then, but we were never told about that at all.

- Laura  L
Teaching Art
We moved to ft Collins in 1989, which was much smaller at the time. We decided to move in 97 hoping for more space. We found it west of Loveland on the edge of the foothills. We renovated a 70s house. You can change the house but not the view. Loveland has become quite the art town and I've become involved with it as a professional artist. I've taught art at the Loveland Museum for 19 years. Although I still love this area and consider it my home I've seen changes I don't like. The brown cloud wasn't here in the 80s. We rarely had forest fires. Now the fire season can start in April and last until Dec. There's nothing more frightening than being close to evacuating and watching fire from your home. Summer has gotten scary as a result.

“Air pollution near drilling and fracking operations is high enough in some Colorado communities to raise cancer risks, according to a 2018 study. A 2021 study found that the fracking boom in northeastern Colorado was a significant source of toxic and smog-making air pollutants, including benzene and toluene.”

From the summary: Compendium of the Risks and Harms of Fracking and Associated Gas and Oil Infrastructure  (Ninth Edition October 2023, by Concerned Health Professionals of NY and Physicians for Social Responsibility)

Harmful Air Quality in Larimer County:

What IS Non-Attainment?

Learn More about Colorado Rising's Work Across the State

Lifting our communities up by giving them the tools to fight for their land, water and air rights.

OUR PROGRAMS
Take Action
Donate
Donate
Volunteer
Volunteer
Español
Español