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Author: Jen Schumann

Permits denied, leases lost: Inside the MOU reshaping oil and gas production in Colorado
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Permits denied, leases lost: Inside the MOU reshaping oil and gas production in Colorado

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice Colorado’s 2024 MOU with BLM is being used to block drilling on federal land, reroute energy dollars and shift authority from Washington to regulators aligned with the Polis anti-fossil fuels agenda. In September 2024, a document quietly signed by BLM Colorado Director Doug Vilsack just eight weeks before the Presidential election may have done more than establish interagency cooperation. Critics say it handed away federal power. The document—a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Colorado Energy and Carbon Management Commission (ECMC)—opened the door for Colorado to impose sweeping restrictions on oil and gas production.  Those restrictions now apply even to federally controlled minera...
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AGNC and Craig urge Congress: Let displaced coal workers access retirement without penalty
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AGNC and Craig urge Congress: Let displaced coal workers access retirement without penalty

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice They built the grid. Now they’re fined for surviving. Colorado coal workers plead for relief amid forced transition fallout. In Craig, a coal worker with $60,000 in retirement savings could lose $6,000 of it overnight—just for trying to survive after losing his job. That’s the reality hundreds of families are facing in Northwest Colorado, where coal plants and mines are shutting down years ahead of schedule and federal tax law is punishing livelihoods already in freefall. Now, the Associated Governments of Northwest Colorado (AGNC) and the City of Craig are calling on Congress to change that. The two entities are urging passage of the Energy Worker Penalty Waiver Act, a federal bill that would exempt displaced coal workers from the standard 1...
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Trailblazers among us: Meet the RMV award winners changing Colorado from the ground up
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Trailblazers among us: Meet the RMV award winners changing Colorado from the ground up

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice At the Mountain Majesty Gala last month, the room was on its feet. Eric Trump had just wrapped his keynote, a message aimed straight at the grassroots: Colorado is yearning to be red. But the loud applause that night wasn’t reserved only for the headliner.  It also came when everyday Coloradans—organizers, volunteers and first-time leaders—were called up for something new: the first Trailblazer Awards.  It was for the people doing the work when no one’s watching. It was a moment to take in, struck not just by who received the awards—but why. These weren’t political celebrities. They were parents, satirists, engineers and organizers.  Most had never sought attention. But they’d earned it. Here are the stories of Trailblaze...
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Behind closed doors: Leaked memos reveal how Durango 9-R Schools avoided a DEI lawsuit—until now
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Behind closed doors: Leaked memos reveal how Durango 9-R Schools avoided a DEI lawsuit—until now

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice Durango School District 9-R changed its hiring policy this spring without a public announcement—but the move didn’t go unnoticed. According to a new federal civil rights complaint filed by Mountain States Legal Foundation (MSLF) and authored by its general counsel, William Trachman, the district had for years pushed a race-conscious hiring agenda, encouraged by internal equity committees and shielded by carefully worded legal guidance.  Now, MSLF says those practices violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act—and that scrubbing the language in 2025 wasn’t enough to undo the damage. This filing is one of three separate federal complaints MSLF has submitted since late June. The others challenge a district policy that endorses race-based ...
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“They called us hateful”: Colorado parents see their story reflected in Supreme Court ruling
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“They called us hateful”: Colorado parents see their story reflected in Supreme Court ruling

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice When the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that public schools must allow parents to opt their children out of LGBTQ+ instruction that conflicts with their religious beliefs, BJ and Brecken Jones sat quietly in their living room—stunned, relieved and vindicated. “For years, we were treated like extremists for simply protecting our kids,” BJ said. “Now the Supreme Court says we were right all along.” For this Boulder County family, Mahmoud v. Taylor wasn’t just a legal case—it was a mirror.  Reading the Court’s opinion, BJ and Brecken saw their own experience reflected almost line for line. What they didn’t expect was that their quiet effort to opt out—rejected by school officials, scorned by activists and ultimately buried in district archi...
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“A deadline without a plan”: how rural Colorado is building the energy future the state won’t
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“A deadline without a plan”: how rural Colorado is building the energy future the state won’t

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice In May 2023, Gov. Jared Polis signed HB 23‑1247, directing the Colorado Energy Office to study advanced energy solutions — from nuclear and geothermal to long-duration storage — in regions facing coal-plant closures like Craig Station. The law included $50,000 from the Just Transition Fund and federal support to study firm energy options in northwest Colorado. Within months, coal facilities began closing across the state—including Craig Station, now set to shutter by 2028. While studies are underway, comprehensive transition plans are still being reviewed. Facing job losses and shrinking tax bases, rural communities are taking charge. “There’s a closing schedule—but no roadmap,” said Matt Solomon, project manager for the Northwest Colorado En...
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“Colorado is yearning to be red”: Eric Trump fires up sold-out RMV Gala
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“Colorado is yearning to be red”: Eric Trump fires up sold-out RMV Gala

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice Eric Trump had no intention of returning to politics. After years on the front lines of the MAGA movement, he told his father he was done. Ten years of lawsuits, media smears and raising a young family had him ready to step back. Then Heidi Ganahl called. “I told my father… I’m retiring from politics,” Trump said. “And then I got a call from Heidi. Damn it. Alright, fine. I’m back in.” More than 400 conservatives packed the sold-out June 21 event in Golden—including 150 VIPs—united by a common belief that Colorado’s still worth fighting for. The movement begins: Pizza Ranch and a tabletop speech Trump opened with a story about 2016 that drew laughs. The MAGA movement didn’t begin with consultants or ad buys. It started in places lik...
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SCOTUS backs states protecting minors from transgender treatment—Colorado lawmakers say HB25-1312 defies it
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SCOTUS backs states protecting minors from transgender treatment—Colorado lawmakers say HB25-1312 defies it

 By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice A landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding Tennessee’s restrictions on gender-related medical interventions for minors has reignited scrutiny over Colorado’s HB25-1312, with several Republican lawmakers calling the ruling a clear rebuke to the law’s premise—and a warning to parents. “I was so happy with the Supreme Court’s ruling. I hope it leads to the State of Colorado being sued for the passing and the Governor’s signing of HB25-1312,” said Sen. Janice Rich (Mesa County). That ruling, issued June 18 in U.S. v. Skrmetti, affirmed that Tennessee’s restrictions on puberty blockers and hormone treatments for youth were constitutionally sound because the state had a legitimate interest in protecting minors from harm.  The ma...
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“Too many wolves”: Congress and DOI signal shift on gray wolf policy
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“Too many wolves”: Congress and DOI signal shift on gray wolf policy

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice At a House Natural Resources Committee hearing last week, frustration among ranchers, landowners and state officials across the West boiled over. What followed wasn’t just venting—it was a coordinated push by lawmakers and the Interior Department to delist the gray wolf and rein in the Endangered Species Act’s long hold on predator policy. “The ESA was never meant to be a Hotel California—where you can check in but never leave,” said Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, borrowing a now-familiar line from Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman to describe how species once listed rarely come off. “We’ve far exceeded the original goals… in some cases by more than twofold.” Burgum’s comments came in response to multiple lawmakers from Colorado, Cal...
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D.C. parade marks 250 years of U.S. Army history with crowd, color and chopper thunder
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D.C. parade marks 250 years of U.S. Army history with crowd, color and chopper thunder

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice A man in colonial uniform rode as George Washington on horseback during the Army’s 250th birthday military parade. It was the kickoff to one of the biggest military parades Washington has seen in decades. More than 6,600 service members made their way through the city’s center, with crowds pressed along Constitution Avenue and the National Mall to take it all in. From there, the Army’s long history moved forward in uniform. Regiments appeared in sequence, each dressed for their era — the Revolution, the Civil War, both World Wars, Korea, Vietnam and more recent conflicts. A narrator gave short intros as each group passed, offering just enough detail for onlookers to connect the pieces. On the reviewing stand were President Donald Trump, Vi...
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