A moratorium on oil and gas development in unincorporated Boulder County that is set to expire on March 28 may receive an extension, the county announced on Wednesday. Staff have recommended that the board of commissioners set a new end date for July.

On Jan. 28, county staff proposed a schedule for finalizing local regulations on extraction before the March deadline of the current moratorium. Since then, the commissioners have heard concerns that the public would not receive sufficient time to review and comment upon the proposal before the moratorium’s end. The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission will also hold rule-making hearings in April and May in which the county will participate.

The board will vote on March 2 on whether to end the moratorium on July 31 instead. The county advises that residents may only submit written testimony for that meeting. In April, the planning commission will meet to discuss recommendations, which the commissioners will take up in June. The only opportunity for public testimony before the board will be on June 18.

The new rules stem from Senate Bill 181 passed in 2019, which expanded local governments’ land-use powers to include regulation of oil and gas production.