Climate lawfare: The courtroom battle over Colorado fuel and energy

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project

Climate lawfare

The PowerGab video linked below was a great primer on how environmentalists — unable to get done what they want by persuasion and the usual legislative process — are now turning to the courts to pursue their preferred policy.

In the case of the video, the policy relates to climate change and fossil fuels.

I’ll leave it to you to watch/listen to the discussion in full. It’s worth the time. There are a couple things worth special note.

First, the lawsuits here in Colorado (of course) are going after the state’s two remaining refineries. This ought to give you pause. Long a target for shutdown by environmentalists, Colorado’s refineries don’t just make gas for cars. They make diesel for trucks (heavy/light commercial/passenger) and aviation fuel. Shut them down or sue them out of existence, and all kinds of important fuels can only get here from outside the state. Doesn’t take an economist to figure out what that does to fuel prices and cost of living.

Second, I don’t think it’s a stretch to see parallels here with the tobacco lawsuits. When you listen to the legal strategy, it reminds me a lot of the one used on big tobacco. Much like the strategy public health is employing with guns, they are likely looking back to see what stuck against the wall when throwing and grabbing another handful.

**A sadly oft-repeated story here in Blue Colorado. Over and over when activists cannot get done what they want done by the normal means, they turn to courts and rulemaking bodies, the latter often stuffed by political cronies/advocates in their own right friendly to their cause.

Related:

Per the Complete Colorado article linked below, a bunch of amicus briefs have flooded in to the US Supreme Court against Boulder’s climate lawsuit.

More in the link below.

https://completecolorado.com/2026/05/28/amicus-briefs-flood-scotus-in-boulder-climate-lawfare-case/

READ THE FULL COMMENTARY AT COLORADO ACCOUNTABILITY PROJECT

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