Written by William E. Trachman, General Counsel for Mountain States Legal Foundation
Published April 8, 2025
When it comes to energy production, Colorado politicians haven’t killed the golden goose yet. In fact, despite years of attacks, Colorado remains one of the top energy-producing states in the nation, and punches above its weight in oil-and-natural-gas extraction.
The warnings of critics that energy production can’t be balanced with environmental considerations have not come to pass. Indeed, our energy success hasn’t come at the cost of our breathtaking national parks and Rocky Mountain views. Our state shows there’s no contradiction between producing energy and still taking good care of the environment.
No wonder the price of gas in Colorado, though still high, is a good 10 cents below the national average. No wonder 93.3 million tourists came to Colorado in 2023, most of them to hike, camp and take in our majestic ecology.
Yet, some state politicians are taking cues from out-of-state politicians determined to interfere and throw a monkey wrench in Colorado’s energy industry.
Let’s start with Sheldon Whitehouse, a Democrat senator from Rhode Island. Whitehouse recently gave an interview accusing the White House of emitting “climate disinformation” — and he called on individual state legislatures to intervene.