Why this post?

The Larimer Alliance (LA) is changing, and this post is an explanation, a plea and a testimony that I hope will lead to your continued support.

The LA got its start in 2019 primarily focused on local implementation of local regulations of O&G. Once that effort became fairly settled with the adoption of local rules that more or less guaranteed that the chances of any new drilling in Larimer County were pretty minimal, our focus became air pollution from Weld County. This is still a major concern, but other changes in the regulatory landscape have caused our mission to evolve as well. We now see our mission as more of one to keep our community informed how this regulatory landscape is evolving at the state level, because that is what directly affects us here in Larimer County. Keeping you informed about events, about informational meetings, and when your input could help with putting pressure on state representatives, is the role of the Larimer Alliance now, as we see it.

Why keep pushing for such reform? Because there is every reason to hope that further reform is possible; because it is still very much needed; and because the current situation at the national level demands action at the local level. What we cannot accomplish in D.C. under the Trump administration, we can, however, accomplish in Colorado at the state, county and local levels.

As you may have been observing at the national level, the Trump administration is becoming more unpopular with each passing week; and our not-so-beloved Governor Polis has been making similar missteps in his popularity contest. So, depending on who is elected, there is reason to hope that there could be substantial changes in O&G regulation in Colorado.

The LA would like to continue to keep you informed about state and local issues with O&G regulation, so that you can make more informed choices at the ballot box during elections. As well, we seek to inform you with stories and evidence that you can use to contact your representatives, and participate in the democratic process yourself. Because that’s the only way we’re really going to achieve real reform: by helping each other achieve our greater goals together.

2026 Legislative wrapup

This information comes to you mostly due to the wonderful work of Jan Rose, who is a registered lobbyist for CCLC, the Colorado Coalition for a Livable Climate (see colivableclimate.org. Full disclosure: I am the webmaster for them too.) She works quite hard at keeping the activist community informed about developments at the state legislature, and fighting (i.e. lobbying) for bills supported by the CCLC. For a detailed report from Jan on the 2026 session, see here.

In a nutshell, the 2026 session was largely a bust for environmental issues, as the opposition to them was strong. An unholy alliance between the O&G industry, the utilities (i.e. Xcel), and the labor unions united to quash any progress on environmental bills, while pushing their own agenda.

One of the biggest late-session fights involved a proposed constitutional amendment backed by the conservative advocacy group Advance Colorado (see www.advancecolorado.org) that would create a constitutional “right” for consumers to use natural gas. Critics argued that it could undermine future local electrification or climate policies; personally, it strikes me as highly unsuitable for a state constitutional amendment, and would likely have been declared unconstitutional when legally challenged. It is quite astounding what Republicans think should become law.

Democratic lawmakers discussed legislation to counter or limit the effects of this proposal, but eventually backed away from a more aggressive response. That retreat was widely viewed as a sign that legislators were reluctant to engage in a direct statewide political battle over gas access during a difficult economic and energy-cost environment.
A striking development this session was the collapse of major data-center regulation proposals. According to reporting from Colorado Politics and environmental-policy groups, lawmakers killed competing bills that would have imposed stronger oversight on large energy-intensive data centers.

STAR, or Save The Aurora Reservoir

After winning an important procedural victory in December 2025 hearing before the ECMC (Energy and Carbon Management Commission) against the Sunlight-Long wellpad, STAR suffered a substantive defeat in April 2026 when the drilling project was ultimately approved. The broader Lowry Ranch project includes more than 160 wells on state-owned land, some near and underneath the Aurora Reservoir itself (!).

The residents of STAR have no intention of giving up, however, and will continue its resistance to this invasive project at every opportunity. For more information, see their website at savetheaurorareservoir.org and their Facebook page.

This is an example where sustained grass roots support matters, because the commissioners are appointed by the governor for staggered four year terms. Interestingly, the commissioners’ terms are not published anywhere, but here the best information I could find about this important topic. Given how many commissioners could be elected by the next governor, it shows how public pressure could help tilt the balance in favor of commissioners with a stronger support actually fulfilling the ECMC’s role: protecting the environment from the O&G industry, and not “fostering” it:

Larimer Alliance wrapup: the LA at a crossroads

In this year of grim politics, the LA must face its own grim prospects: to be or not to be? The LA is down to just myself and Ed Behan to carry on this effort — and I have recently moved to Minnesota for personal reasons.  Due to a declining need for it, we decided to close our website, both to conserve costs and reduce the maintenance effort. On the plus side, we have received some generous donations, and can cover our expenses through 2027.

But in order to maintain an active presence, the LA needs some actual volunteers willing commit some time and help with the following activities:

• to serve as “officers” both in pragmatic day-to-day, week-to-week planning, scheduling, and action, as well as filling formal positions in our organization as a 501C4 non-profit: Chair, Secretary & Treasurer
• monitor the news and social media for issues related to LA’s mission, protecting the public from the O&G industry
• post to our blog and/or Facebook page about such news
• assist with the (rare) public events when the LA mans a booth with other environmental groups
• encourage others to contact their elected representatives about specific upcoming votes
• help mentor occasional student interns

Here are the benefits of such volunteer work:

• build community awareness on these issues
• network with other local activists and learn about Colorado’s vibrant environmental activism, both local and statewide
• help create the political will to influence our elected representatives
• foster relationships with these representatives
• foster relationships with local news media groups and personalities
• learn about the nuances behind how the  O&G industry operates and is regulated
• have greater peace of mind that you are helping to create positive change!

Without some other volunteers stepping forward to help with this effort, the LA may have to shut down…which would be a loss to the local community, as there aren’t any other similar non-profits based in Larimer County.

But my hope is that the rest of 2026 will see a resurgence of activism with the approaching mid-term elections, which has sure signs that a change is in the air!

–Rick Casey