Judge kills Thornton’s oil and gas buffer and pipeline rules
DENVER – A Colorado judge has rejected a city’s ordinances requiring 750-foot buffers and pipeline safety to protect residents from oil and gas drilling operations inside its boundaries.
The Denver Post reports Colorado District Court Judge Edward Moss, a former mayor of Westminster, declared Thornton’s rules illegal because they conflict with a more permissive state law.
Moss leaned on a 2016 state Supreme Court ruling that he interpreted to mean municipalities “cannot authorize what state law forbids or forbid what state law allows.”
Moss ruled Tuesday the state’s Oil and Gas Conservation Commission regulations for the industry trump 15 different rules Thornton made, including the buffer requirements.
The Colorado Oil and Gas Association and the American Petroleum Institute had filed a lawsuit attacking the rules that Thornton made in August.
Army veterans Jessica Killin, Joe Reagan qualify for Democratic primary ballot in Colorado’s 5th CD
Ernest Luning
ernest.luning@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 14 hours ago
Democratic congressional candidates Jessica Killin and Joe Reagan secured spots Saturday in Colorado’s June primary to decide who will run against Republican U.S. Rep. Jeff Crank in a district that’s only ever sent GOP lawmakers to Congress. The two Democrats,...
Who has the power to declare war? | Cronin and Loevy
Tom Cronin Bob Loevy
tom-cronin-bob-loevy@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 17 hours ago
Our constitutional framers boldly and ambitiously granted Congress the power to declare war yet granted the executive the responsibility, after war is declared, to supervise war as the commander-in-chief. That worked well until the Cold War began. The U.S. has been...
Latest death brings down wolves’ survival rate to 44% in Colorado
Marianne Goodland
marianne.goodland@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 21 hours ago
The female wolf of the mating pair for the King Mountain pack has died, bringing total fatalities to 14 out of the 25 animals reintroduced in Colorado. The wolf, identified as No. 2310, was among the 10 wolves brought to...
The delicate, ever-changing dance between politics and religion | SONDERMANN
By Eric Sondermann
by-eric-sondermann@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 19 hours ago
The dance, really a marathon that brings to mind the classic movie “They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?”, has been going on as long as there have been governments and organized religion. That is to say that this delicate tango has...
Roasts, get yer roasts, here: Capitol M | Week of March 14, 2026
Marianne Goodland
marianne.goodland@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 4 days ago
The lighter side of the Capitol, especially in the past week Apparently, the pending and eventual switch to daylight stupid time has put people in some pretty funny moods. And thank goodness! On March 4, the Senate approved the appointments...
Polly Baca elected to DNC | A LOOK BACK
Rachael Wright, Special to Colorado Politics
rachael.wright@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 4 days ago
Forty-Five Years Ago This Week: After her loss to Republican U.S. Rep. Hank Brown the previous year in the race for the 4th Congressional District, state. Sen Polly Baca-Barragan, D-Thortnon, was elected as one of the three vice-chairs of the...
Colorado Politics Calendar Mar. 16-22
Rachael Wright, Special to Colorado Politics
rachael.wright@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 4 days ago
CoPo’s weekly political calendar will help you find political and public-policy events throughout Colorado. It includes candidate and issue campaign events, public policy meetings, court hearings, state and local party conventions, assemblies, debates, rallies, parades, speaking engagements, traveling dignitary appearances,...
Boebert challenger Eileen Laubacher joins lawsuit aimed at blocking her from Democratic assembly
Ernest Luning
ernest.luning@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 2 days ago
A Denver District Court judge on Thursday permitted Democratic congressional candidate Eileen Laubacher to join a lawsuit filed by one of her primary opponents seeking to prevent Laubacher from participating in the party’s assembly process in a bid to qualify...
Colorado justices weigh fairness concerns after defendant prevailed despite ghosting case
Michael Karlik
michael.karlik@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 15 hours ago
Members of the Colorado Supreme Court struggled on Tuesday to balance the need for one defendant to shield itself against a plaintiff’s claim that its employee sexually assaulted her child, and the fact that the employee legally admitted the allegations...
House Ethics Committee to begin hearing on Weinberg complaint
Marianne Goodland
marianne.goodland@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 2 days ago
The House Ethics Committee on Tuesday will begin a hearing requested by Rep. Ron Weinberg, R-Loveland, tied to an ethics complaint filed against him by Rep. Brandi Bradley, R-Roxborough Park. The ethics committee had found probable cause on two issues...
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Out West Roundup: Film industry officials hope next New Mexico governor boosts business
New Mexico Film industry officials hope new governor boosts business SANTA FE – Officials in New Mexico’s film and television industry say a new governor may help boost business for film production in the state. Gubernatorial hopefuls seeking to succeed term-limited Gov. Susana Martinez say some potentially consequential tweaks to the state’s film and television […]
Coal power 'under pressure'; Colorado Springs plant 'at risk,' says ratings service
Colorado coal-fired power plants serving municipal electric utilities and rural cooperatives remain economically competitive despite the availability of cheaper natural gas and renewable energy, but one plant in Colorado Springs is “at risk,” according to an analysis by Moody’s Investor Services. Moody’s, which rates bond credit and does market research, assessed the market competitiveness of […]