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Rewriting the rules: Wolves, federal reform and a lawsuit from rural Colorado
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Rewriting the rules: Wolves, federal reform and a lawsuit from rural Colorado

By Jen Schumann | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice Late last year, five wolves were airlifted from Oregon to Colorado under a plan voters narrowly approved—but few knew one of them came from a pack with a history of livestock attacks.  Fewer still knew the move may have violated federal law. At the center of the controversy is a growing belief that Colorado’s wolf reintroduction bypassed environmental law and public transparency.  And a federal lawsuit now threatens to unravel the entire plan. The lawsuit that could reset the rules The National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA, is one of the country’s cornerstone environmental laws — meant to ensure that federal actions don’t proceed without full environmental review and public input.  But when...
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Choked out: How Colorado’s regulatory maze is starving its energy producers
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Choked out: How Colorado’s regulatory maze is starving its energy producers

By Jen Schumann | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice Few states rival Colorado’s wealth of energy resources, but its oil and gas industry is up against increasing challenges. Small and mid-sized operators, once the industry’s backbone, are struggling with a growing tangle of regulations.  Delayed permits, overlapping oversight and rising fines are making it harder to stay in business, forcing many to reconsider their future in the state. Ryan Clark, Vice President of Engineering at Petrox Resources and a fourth-generation Coloradan working in his family’s oil and gas business, has watched small operators disappear under the weight of increased regulations. "Honestly, I don’t know if oil and gas has a future here," he said. "Growing up, this was a business people bui...
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Laramie Energy gives Mesa County a bleak outlook on future under present regulation
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Approved, Local, Rocky Mountain Voice

Laramie Energy gives Mesa County a bleak outlook on future under present regulation

By Lindy Browning | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice In an informational work session, Chris Clark of Laramie Energy gave Mesa County Commissioners Cody Davis and JJ Fletcher an update concerning how ever-increasing regulatory policy in Colorado is not only impacting smaller oil and gas companies, but also cutting into the county budget. Energy producing counties have relied on their share of the severance tax, a tax that is extracted from fossil fuel energy developing companies that is designed to cover infrastructure impacts like water development, roads and local entities. In the past, severance tax dollars paid for local libraries, hospital wings, firefighting facilities and equipment, municipal water line replacements, and funded upgrades to local schools, among many...
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Arapahoe County approves more regulations on oil and gas operations
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Approved, denvergazette.com, Local

Arapahoe County approves more regulations on oil and gas operations

By Kyla Pearce | Denver Gazette Arapahoe County, which has some of the strictest oil and gas regulations in the state, on Tuesday approved additional regulations, notably setting aside money for plugging wells or when they are abandoned. The new amendments to the county's oil and gas regulations came after a slew of regulations adopted last year that included requiring one-mile setbacks from existing and planned reservoirs, additional soil and water testing, wildland urban interface protections and fire code compliance on access roads. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE DENVER GAZETTE
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API’s Lynn Granger named as new president and CEO of Colorado Oil and Gas Association
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Approved, gazette.com, State

API’s Lynn Granger named as new president and CEO of Colorado Oil and Gas Association

By Scott Weiser | Denver Gazette Lynn Granger, the Colorado regional director of the American Petroleum Institute, will become President and CEO of the Colorado Oil and Gas Association. Granger will officially start in January and replace departing President and CEO Dan Haley. Granger spent more than two decades working in energy policy and strategic communications leadership, including five years in the U.S. Army. Granger served as the press officer for the United States Army Europe commanding general and was the spokesperson for United States Army Europe. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE GAZETTE
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Oil and gas industry to push for policy changes under Trump administration
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Approved, gazette.com, State

Oil and gas industry to push for policy changes under Trump administration

By Scott Weiser | The Gazette The oil and gas industry sees an opening to reverse "heavy handed mandates" with the incoming Trump administration, arguing that last week's elections showed that Americans want the widest possible portfolio of energy sources — not "government mandates and restrictions." Meanwhile, environmentalists are gearing up for a fight.  In Colorado, oil and gas industry leaders said the state's stringent regulations would adequately protect public health.    READ THE FULL STORY AT THE GAZETTE
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New rules would limit use of fresh water in oil-and-gas operations
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Approved, State, The Sum & Substance

New rules would limit use of fresh water in oil-and-gas operations

By Ed Sealover | The Sum & Substance To reduce the amount of fresh water used in oil-and-gas drilling, operators must ensure a certain percentage of water they are using in extraction is reused or recycled under a plan set to be released in the next week by a legislatively created advisory group. The strategy from the Colorado Produced Water Consortium — a group of 31 energy, environmental and water experts that has been meeting for more than a year — will mark the first time Colorado has attempted to curb use of fresh water in the industry. Consortium members are required to produce a report with recommendations by Nov. 1, and the Colorado Energy and Carbon Management Commission is scheduled to hold a hearing in December to put new rules into place. Oil-and-gas companies use ...
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J.D. Vance to go on ‘Joe Rogan Experience’ on Wednesday
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Approved, State, The Post Millennial

J.D. Vance to go on ‘Joe Rogan Experience’ on Wednesday

By Thomas Stevenson | The Post Millennial GOP vice-presidential candidate JD Vance is expected to sit down for a podcast interview with Joe Rogan on Wednesday this week. This comes on the heels of Donald Trump's appearance on the podcast with Rogan last week.   According to the Guardian, Vance will be recording the podcast on Wednesday morning with the podcast host. The podcast is often watched by many young men, a demographic that both campaigns have been working to win over.   CNN reporter Alayna Treene reported the news on X, saying "NEW: JD Vance will sit for an interview with Joe Rogan tomorrow for his podcast, a source familiar with the plans tells me. The interview is expected to drop later this week. It will be taped at Rogan’s studio in Austin." ...
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Oil & gas debate unveils tension between industry, environmental protection interests
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Approved, coloradopolitics.com, State

Oil & gas debate unveils tension between industry, environmental protection interests

By Scott Weiser | The Gazette via Colorado Politics The wide divide between oil and gas development and environmental protection was on full display as a conservation organization representative debated one from the Colorado Oil and Gas Association. Katherine Merlin, of Wild Earth Guardians, and Dan Haley, COGA, debated how much mineral extraction is enough in Colorado at the Colorado Sun SunFest last month at the University of Denver. Merlin is a climate and energy litigator with the conservation organization. Haley is the president and CEO of COGA, a state industry trade association. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
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Colorado’s bold move to ban oil drilling sparks national debate
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Approved, National, OilPrice.com

Colorado’s bold move to ban oil drilling sparks national debate

By Felicity Bradstock  | OilPrice.com Earlier this year, Democratic lawmakers in Colorado proposed two pieces of legislation aimed at introducing a statewide ban on oil and gas wells, which would be the first of its kind in the U.S. One of the bills aimed to introduce a ban on new oil and gas drilling permits by bringing an end to new oil and gas licenses starting in 2028. The second proposal would require oil and gas companies to pause production for five months each year. The proposal of such strict limitations on oil and gas operations had not previously been seen and the proposal of such far-reaching laws could encourage other states to follow suit. Environmentalists are calling for lawmakers to bring an end to oil and gas production, with a particular focus on fracking, a tec...
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