COURTOFAPPEALS,STATEOFCOLORADO
2East14thAvenue
Denver,CO80203
DistrictCourt,LarimerCounty,Colorado
TheHonorableGregoryM.Lammons
201LaPorteAvenue,Suite100
FortCollins,Colorado80521
CaseNumber:2013CV31385
Appellant:CITYOFFORTCOLLINS,COLORADO
v.
Appellee:COLORADOOIL&GASASSOCIATION
AttorneysforCitizensforaHealthyFortCollins,
SierraClub,andEarthworks(“Measure
Proponents”)
Name:
KevinLynch(Atty.Reg.#39873)
BradBartlett(Atty.Reg.#32816)
ChristopherBrummitt(Student
Attorney)
LaRonaMondt(StudentAttorney)
NicolasRising(StudentAttorney)
Address: 2255E.EvansAvenue,Suite335
Denver,CO80208
Phone:
303.871.6140
FAX: 303.871.6847
E‐mail:[email protected]
DATE FILED: February 6, 2015 7:34 PM
FILING ID: 2EC843461E00B
CASE NUMBER: 2014CA1991
▲COURTUSEONLY▲
CaseNumber:2014CA1991
MOTIONOFCITIZENSFORAHEALTHYFORTCOLLINS,SIERRACLUB,AND
EARTHWORKSFORLEAVETOFILEABRIEFASAMICUSCURIAEIN
SUPPORTOFTHEDEFENDANT‐APPELLANT,THECITYOFFORTCOLLINS
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PursuanttoC.A.R.29,CitizensforAHealthyFortCollins,SierraClub,
andEarthworks(collectively“MeasureProponents”)respectfullysubmitthis
motionforleavetofileabriefasamicuscuriaeinsupportoftheDefendant‐
Appellant,theCityofFortCollins.Insupportofitsmotion,Measure
Proponentsstateasfollows:
I.INTERESTOFAPPLICANTS
MeasureProponentsincludemembersofCitizensforaHealthyFort
Collins,theSierraClub,andEarthworks.CitizensforaHealthyFortCollinsis
anon‐partisancoalitionofcitizenswhoinitiatedandsupportedBallot
Measure2A,theFortCollinsPublicHealth,SafetyandWellnessAct(“the
Moratorium”)andwerefundamentalinitspassage.Thisgroupofcitizens
includespeoplewholiveinFortCollins,havechildrenattendingschoolthere,
andownbusinessesorotherpropertyinFortCollins.Theirinterestsinclude
protectingtheirhealth,safety,welfare,andpropertyvalues.
SierraClubisanationalnonprofitorganizationwithmembersdedicated
to:exploring,enjoyingandprotectingthewildplacesoftheearth,practicing
andpromotingtheresponsibleuseoftheEarth’secosystemsandresources,
andeducatingandenlistinghumanitytoprotectandrestorethequalityofthe
naturalandhumanenvironment.Over800membersofSierraClub’sRocky
MountainChapterresideinFortCollins.Thisincludesmemberswithoiland
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gaswellsandfacilitiesonorneartheirpropertyandmemberswholivenear
proposedoilandgaswells.MembersofbothSierraClubandCitizensfora
HealthyFortCollinsinitiatedandcampaignedfortheFrackingMoratorium.
EarthworksisanonprofitorganizationthatrunstheOilandGas
AccountabilityProject(“OGAP”).OGAP’smissionistoworkwithtribal,urban,
andruralcommunitiestoprotecttheirhomesandtheenvironmentfromthe
devastatingimpactsofoilandgasdevelopmentinColorado.Thereare51
membersofEarthworksresidinginFortCollins.OGAPmembershaveoiland
gaswellsandfacilitiesonorneartheirproperty.OGAPmembersworkfor
greatercommunitycontroloveroilandgasdevelopmentandsupport
measuresliketheFrackingMoratoriumintheadvancementofthatgoal.
MeasureProponentsspenttheirtime,money,andenergytoensure
protectionoftheirhealth,safety,andwelfare.R.CF,pp.54,57,60,63.They
activelyparticipatedincommunityoutreachandeducation,andasaresult,
thevotersofFortCollinsapprovedtheFrackingMoratorium.Id.Measure
Proponentsattemptedtointerveneinthedistrictcourtbutweredenied
intervention.R.CF,pp.104‐06.MeasureProponentsappealedthedenialof
interventionandareawaitinganopinionfromtheCourtofAppealsincaseNo.
2014CA780.
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II.DESIRABILITYOFAMICUSBRIEF
ThiscaseisuniqueinthattheMoratoriumwascreatedbycitizen
initiative.ThislocalregulationwasnotcreatedandpassedbyCity,butbythe
citizens.Asaresult,MeasureProponentshaveaccesstoinformationthat
neitherpartyinthiscasedoes,suchastheconcernoverthepotentialharmsof
frackingwhichleadtotheMoratoriumbeinginitiated.MeasureProponents’
participationasamicuscuriaewouldprovidetheCourtwithevidenceofthe
localimpactsandinterestsofcitizensclosesttothepotentialharms.
ThecitizenscreatedandpassedtheMoratorium,yettheirinterestsare
notbeingrepresentedinitsdefense.Establishingthelocalinterestisvitalina
preemptionchallenge.
Citizengroupswhoinitiatedtheregulationatissuehaveparticipatedin
similarcases.SeeColo.Oil&GasAssoc.v.CityofLongmont,CaseNo.
2014CA1759,filedJanuary15,2015.Infact,intheLongmontcase,the
equivalentparties(thelocalcitizengroup,SierraClub,andEarthworks)were
allowedtoparticipateinthecaseandrepresenttheinterestsofthecitizens
whopassedthelocalregulation.
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III.TheCityofFortCollinsconsentstoourparticipationasamicusinthiscase.
IV.PursuanttoC.A.R.29,MeasureProponentsarefilingthismotion
contemporaneouslywithfilingthebrief.
CONCLUSION
MeasureProponentsrequestthatthisCourtgrantitsmotionfor
leavetofileabriefasamicuscuriaeinsupportoftheDefendant‐
Appellant,theCityofFortCollins.
DATEDthis6thdayofFebruary,2015.
Respectfullysubmitted,
/s/KevinJ.Lynch
KevinJ.Lynch(COBarNo.39873)
BradBartlett(COBarNo.32816)
LaRonaMondt(StudentAttorney)
ChristopherBrummitt(StudentAttorney)
NicholasRising(StudentAttorney)
EnvironmentalLawClinic
UniversityofDenver
CounselforMeasureProponents
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CERTIFICATEOFSERVICE
IherebycertifythatonthisFebruary6,2015atrueandcorrectcopyof
theaboveandforegoingMOTIONOFCITIZENSFORAHEALTHYFORT
COLLINS,SIERRACLUB,ANDEARTHWORKSFORLEAVETOFILEABRIEF
ASAMICUSCURIAEINSUPPORTOFTHEDEFENDANT‐APPELLANT,THE
CITYOFFORTCOLLINSwasservedviatheIntegratedColoradoCourtsE‐
FilingSystem(ICCES),on:
MarkJ.Matthews
JohnV.McDermott
WayneF.Forman
MichaelD.Hoke
BrownsteinHyattFarberSchreck,LLP
410SeventeenthStreet,Suite2200
Denver,CO80202
CarrieDaggett
JohnR.Duval
CityHallWest
300LaPorteAvenue
P.O.Box580
FortCollins,CO80521
BarbaraJ.B.Green
JohnT.Sullivan
SullivanGreenSeavyLLC
3223ArapahoeAvenue,Suite300
Boulder,CO80303
/s/KevinJ.Lynch
KevinJ.Lynch
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