A group of 17 Colorado state politicians have outed themselves as science deniers, in writing. No amount of empirical scientific data, regarding a pollution concern, seems good enough if it does not further their political agenda.

At issue is an environmental report issued in February by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment regarding fracking and other forms of oil and gas extraction. The department is part of the administration of Gov. John Hickenlooper, a liberal Democrat.

Hickenlooper is so concerned with global warming that he vowed to march on with something similar to President Barack Obama’s Clean Power Plan, even after the Supreme Court of the United States put the president’s energy regulations on hold.

Worried about potential negative effects oil and gas mining have on air quality, the governor’s environmental agency assessed more than 10,000 air quality samples taken near oil and gas operations.

Read more at The Colorado Springs Gazette.