COLORADO’S FUTURE IS SHAPED AT HOME

Colorado's Future is Shaped at Home

As federal protections are rolled back, state leaders have never mattered more for our climate, air, water, land, and communities.

The president and Congress get most of the attention — but it’s Colorado’s governor, attorney general and legislature that decide whether our state leads or falls behind on climate, clean energy and protecting the places we love.

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November 3, 2026

Conservation Colorado

OUR CLIMATE FIGHT

From filling up at the pump to paying your utility bill, Coloradans agree — costs are too damn high. Meanwhile, corporate polluters are making record profits and the Trump administration is handing them tax breaks; the laws we used to rely on to protect the land, air and water in Colorado are being dismantled.

The president and Congress get the headlines. But it’s our governor, attorney general, secretary of state and state and local elected officials who decide whether Colorado fights back — or falls behind.

In 2026, we have the chance to elect leaders who put money back in our pockets, double down on the fastest and cheapest energy to bring online which is wind and solar and clean up our most polluted communities.

Our Climate Fight
Join the Fight

THE STAKES

Our Bills Are Too Damn High. Our Leaders Need to Do Something About It.

Coloradans see it in the price of groceries, gasoline and monthly utility bills. The Trump administration and corporate polluters tried to convince us that renewable energy would increase our bills. That’s nonsense, and we all know it.

Renewable energy is the fastest and cheapest to bring online and over the years investments in Colorado have kept our electricity prices below the national average. But costs are still going up. Why? Because volatile fossil fuel prices continue driving up electricity costs, corporate polluters have posted record profits, data centers are driving up demand on the grid and inflation remains high.

Nationwide, the affordability issue is being used by industry-friendly players to roll back renewable energy, slash environmental regulations, bring back dirty coal and build expensive new fossil gas power plants. These efforts threaten our cost of living, the safety and quality of our climate, air, water, lands and communities here in Colorado.

The people we elect in 2026 will define Colorado’s environmental direction for decades to come.

“When federal protections disappear, state laws and state leaders become the last line of defense.”

Conservation Colorado

WHAT CONSERVATION COLORADO IS DOING

At Conservation Colorado, we protect the Colorado we love. What makes us unique is that we not only win policy victories, but also recruit, train and elect conservation leaders, while organizing in communities to hold those leaders accountable. As the state’s largest environmental organization, we bring deep experience and boots on the ground across Colorado to deliver lasting change.

Elections matter because leadership matters. At Conservation Colorado, we help elect conservation champions, then work alongside them to pass strong policy protections for our air, land, water, climate and communities — and we hold them accountable every step of the way.

We research candidates’ records, endorse those who will fight for Colorado’s future and mobilize our members and volunteers across the state. The leaders elected in 2026 will determine whether Colorado protects our air, lands, water, climate and communities.

Colorado’s environment and communities can’t defend themselves. The future is worth the fight, for ourselves, our communities, and for the generations of Coloradans yet to come.

Learn more about how Conservation Colorado builds power and continues the fight beyond Election Day.

Conservation Colorado

The governor’s office makes more of a difference for Colorado’s environment and your pocketbook than any other. The governor proposes how many dollars go toward parks, wildlife, water and clean energy. The governor issues executive orders that either move Colorado forward in tackling climate change or push the brakes. And, the governor appoints the commissioners who will regulate Colorado’s energy, air quality and oil and gas industry.

The governor’s appointments determine whether your electricity comes from affordable clean energy or from costly coal. The Public Utilities Commission (PUC) decides your electric rates and whether Colorado reaches its goal of 100% clean electricity by 2040. The Air Quality Control Commission (AQCC) decides the pollution standards for Colorado, determining what Coloradans are breathing. The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) regulates the biggest contributor to climate change in the state. When we elect a governor who shares our values, those values can be reflected in their commissioner appointments.

Colorado’s investments in renewable energy have held our utility costs under the national average while building a booming clean energy industry — because we have had governors that made it their mission to do just that. We must do it again in 2026.

When Trump administration officials target Colorado’s environmental protections, the decision to fight back against that agenda belongs to Colorado’s governor — whether through legal, regulatory or executive action.

What the governor controls:

  • Sets the state’s climate and energy policy agenda
  • Appoints commissioners to the Public Utilities Commission (PUC), Colorado Oil & Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) and Air Quality Control Commission (AQCC) — the bodies that regulate Colorado’s energy and pollution
  • Issues executive orders on climate, clean energy and environmental equity
  • Proposes the state budget, including funding for parks, wildlife, water and clean energy programs
  • Leads Colorado’s response to federal rollbacks — including decisions about whether to sue the federal government, join multistate coalitions or strengthen state law

Why it matters for your bills and your community:

  • The governor’s PUC appointments will determine whether Colorado meets its 100% clean electricity goal by 2040
  • Executive climate leadership sets the tone for agencies, legislators and businesses
  • A governor who prioritizes environmental equity ensures frontline communities aren’t left behind as Colorado transitions to clean energy

Colorado’s Legal Against Federal Rollbacks and Corporate Polluters

For far too long, corporate polluters have gotten away with circumventing the law and damaging our environment. The attorney general (AG) works to enforce the environmental laws in Colorado. The AG sues corporations that violate their permits. The AG even sues the federal government when its actions harm Colorado. Rolling back clean water regulations and selling our public lands – all of these Trump administration actions can be challenged in court by a pro-environment AG.

The difference between an attorney general that takes action and one that doesn’t is the difference between Suncor being held accountable to our lawsand getting off easy.It may be the difference between having someone fight for the residents of Commerce City who are suffering from a 24% higher mortality rate than other parts of Denver, or not.

It is time that we clean up our most polluted communities and hold corporate polluters fully accountable for the harm they cause. That starts by electing a strong attorney general.

What the AG controls:

  • Enforces Colorado’s environmental laws to and protect our air and water quality
  • Sues the federal government when federal rollbacks harm Colorado
  • Joins or leads multistate legal coalitions to defend environmental protections
  • Investigates and prosecutes violations by corporations, including oil & gas companies
  • Defends voter-approved ballot measures and state laws from legal challenge

Why it matters for Colorado’s future:

  • The AG’s office determines whether companies like Suncor face real accountability or paper penalties
  • The AG can challenge federal actions that threaten Colorado’s public lands, water rights and clean air standards

Protecting the Vote That Protects Colorado’s Environment

Colorado elections are run by the Secretary of State (SOS), from the process of initiatives to the actual elections. The Secretary of State can approve or disapprove an initiative, ensure voter registration and make sure that Colorado’s elections are fair and credible.

In citizen-led initiatives, the Secretary of State determines the procedures of getting signatures, certification and language on ballots, thus controlling how the citizens of Colorado will be able to directly influence decisions about their issues.

What the SOS controls:

  • Administers Colorado’s elections — including ballot initiative processes
  • Oversees voter registration and access
  • Ensures the integrity of the electoral process

Why it matters for Colorado’s future:

  • We need to lead with a general importance of election integrity for democracy and standing up against federal intrusions into elections, which the constitution says are run by states
  • Conservation ballot initiatives — from clean energy to public lands — depend on fair, accessible elections
  • A SoS who protects voting access ensures that Coloradans— decide Colorado’s environmental future
  • The SoS sets the rules for signature gathering, certification and ballot language for citizen initiatives

Where Colorado’s Environmental Laws Are Written

All of Colorado’s clean energy, water, wildlife, conservation and worker protection laws must go through the state legislature. Each and every one of them.

The Colorado State Legislature is made up of 100 elected lawmakers from across the state who serve in either the House or the Senate and both chambers must agree on any bill before it can be sent to the governor to be signed into law.

When companies push back on environmental and worker protection laws, the state legislature is where the battles take place.

The legislature is also the place where the state’s nearly $50 billion budget is set, determining whether funding is available for parks, wildlife, water infrastructure, clean energy projects and environmental justice efforts.

State legislators oversee the state agencies that take the laws they pass and turn them into real-world rules, oversight and enforcement. Even after passing the laws and setting budgets, legislators are responsible for reviewing agency rules and holding agencies accountable through hearings and audits.

What legislators control:

  • Pass, block or amend every environmental law in Colorado — clean energy, water quality, land use, pollution standards and worker protections
  • Control the state budget, including funding for parks, wildlife, water infrastructure and clean energy programs
  • Can strengthen state law when federal protections are weakened or eliminated
  • Confirm or provide oversight of governor’s appointees to key regulatory bodies
  • Respond to ballot initiatives — can pass legislation to implement, protect or undermine voter-approved measures

Why it matters for Colorado’s future:

  • Every bill Conservation Colorado champions or opposes goes through the legislature
  • Determines what is even possible for a pro-environment governor to accomplish
  • Legislative champions are essential partners in building durable policy

Colorado’s Environmental Future Requires All Three Branches

It does not happen by itself; someone must advocate for clean energy, defend it in court and make sure the voters who passed it continue to be heard.

When the governor proposes an aggressive clean energy policy agenda, the state legislature turns the vision into law, the attorney general defends those laws and the secretary of state makes sure voters remain in charge of the democratic process.

The Leaders Closest to Home and Closest to the Fight

When it comes to environmental protection, county commissioners are often overlooked and under-appreciated. They are often the first line of defense for people living next to oil and gas operations, contaminated rivers and streams and open areas that keep disappearing.

County commissioners determine land use zoning policies and transportation decisions, including where development is allowed, what industries are permitted within their jurisdiction and how open space, agricultural land and wildlife habitats will be protected.They also oversee county budgets and allocate money for local park maintenance, water services and emergency management systems that help protect communities in times of crisis.

The same corporate polluters that at the state and federal levels also lobby local county commissioners. Colorado needs county commissioners that will stand up to them and protect their constituents.

What county commissioners control:

  • Land use and zoning regulations – deciding where development occurs and what areas are reserved for conservation
  • County budgets, which includes money allocated to local parks, water facilities and emergency services
  • Oil and gas permitting and operations monitoring

Why It Matters:

  • The county commissioners are typically the first decision-makers people encounter when their community is under threat, especially from developers
  • The land use decisions made by the county have a significant impact on the long term well-being of Colorado communities
  • Effective county commissioners promote environmental conservation and ensure that those who pollute are held accountable locally
Conservation Colorado