Contact Information

For immediate assistance, please contact Peter Roessman, Media and Marketing Coordinator, at (303) 444-1188 x 221.

Current Press Releases:

November 17, 2008: In response to rules governing commercial oil shale leasing being prematurely finalized, WRA Executive Director Karin Sheldon issued a statement critical of the rules which are counter to the public's interest and its demonstrated desire for a change in national policy direction.

November 12, 2008: WRA publicly releases "Smart Lines" are report providing guidance on how to solve the problem of providing more transmission capacity for renewable energy while minimizing negative impacts on public lands throughout the West.

September 22, 2008: The Bureau of Land Management is prematurely moving forward with commercial oil shale leasing regulations, far ahead of the oil industry’s ability to develop the resource. WRA submitted comments detailing the substantial weaknesses in BLM’s proposed regulations.

September 19, 2008: The Colorado PUC made a precedent-setting decision today to approve Xcel Energy’s plans to cut CO2 emissions by retiring two coal-fired power plants. Xcel’s plans are“arguably the most innovative utility resource plan anywhere in the country,” said WRA’s energy program director John Nielsen.

September 16, 2008: In response to H.R. 6899 regarding oil shale leasing regulations, WRA’s executive director Karin Sheldon states that “efforts to take a wise course of action on the proper development of oil shale took a giant step backwards" with the opening of up 2 million acres of federal lands for commercial oil shale leasing.

July 22, 2008: The Department of Interior has given consumers false hope that oil shale is a near-term solution to the pain that Americans are feeling at the pump. The technology does not exist to produce oil shale without enormous impacts to lands, wildlife, water, and air quality. Until oil shale can be extracted in ways that protect communities and natural resources, we must focus on fuel efficiency and promoting clean technologies.

June 26, 2008 : WRA and five other conservation organizations expose the false claims of proponents of oil shale who promise cheaper prices at the pump in an attempt to acquire public land for development. With oil shale technology in its nascent stage, resources would not be available for decades and would not come cheaply due to oil shale’s high demand for large amounts of energy and water.

June 5, 2008: WRA and other conservation groups involved in water rights negotiations concerning the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park brokered an agreement between the United States, water users, the State of Colorado, and others that will protect water rights for the Black Canyon. After more than 30 years, it resolves one of Colorado’s most contentious water rights battles.

May 29, 2008 Today Governor Bill Ritter signed into law House Bill 1141 requiring that developers of projects prove the development will have an adequate supply of water. Senator Bob Bacon, who co-sponsored the bill, pushed for passage to "give local governments a necessary tool for approving sustainable development and protecting homebuyers from purchasing homes that have an uncertain water future.”

May 19, 2008: It was the only ticket he purchased, but for Timothy Tobin, a carpenter from Boulder, it was all he needed to win a new Toyota Prius. His name was selected at a drawing held at Ten Salon and Spa in Loveland, one of many Earth Month fundraisers held by local Aveda salons and spas to raise funds for organizations that work to benefit the environment. Western Resource Advocates (WRA) was the beneficiary of the fundraising efforts of 133 salons and spas throughout the West.

May 6, 2008: Western Resource Advocates (WRA) and Global Greengrants Fund are proud to announce that they have been selected by the Aveda Corporation to receive a portion of the funds raised during the company’s 2008 Earth Month campaign. Proceeds will be put toward ensuring that all people have safe, reliable, and sustainable sources of water in Colorado and around the world.

February 7, 2008: Arizona, one of the fastest growing states in the country, can meet the majority of its rising demand for electricity by investing in energy efficiency and renewable energy. The analysis, “A Clean Electric Energy Strategy for Arizona,” maps out how the state can move from its current dependence on fossil fuels to cleaner sources of energy that have more stable costs and much smaller environmental impacts.

November 12, 2007: An analysis commissioned by Western Resource Advocates and conducted by Summit Blue Consulting says that Tri-State Generation and Transmission has an opportunity to address imbalances in its resource mix for generating electricity as a result of the rejection of its proposed coal-fired power plant in Holcomb, Kansas.

October 18, 2007: The Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s denial of Tri-State’s proposal to build two new coal-fired power plants in western Kansas will protect the climate, benefit efforts to boost local clean energy resources, and save ratepayers money.

September 5, 2007: Nevada Environment Commission to Consider Climate Petition: Proposed Cap on CO2 Pollution Would Suspend Permitting for New Coal-fired Power Plants.

June 25, 2007: Oil Shale Could Overshadow Air Quality Gains: Congress Considers Slowing Down Commercial Leasing Timeline

June 7, 2007 Oil Shale Development Will Threaten Water Supplies: BLM & Industry Need to Make Full Water Impacts Public Oil shale development is projected to have a dramatic effect on Colorado’s valuable water resources, yet estimates of the water needed for modern development methods have not been made public.

June 8, 2007: The Campaign to Save Roan Plateau expressed extreme disappointment at the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) decision to immediately lease Roan Plateau’s public lands for oil and gas development, noting that this move by the federal government flies in the face of seven years of public comment, which has overwhelming opposed drilling the public lands on top of the Plateau.

April 17, 2007: Western Resource Advocates and the Aveda Corporation present a series of fun eco-events to celebrate Earth Day.

April 16, 2007: Westerners testify before congress on the impacts of commercial leasing of federal oil shale resources in western Colorado. To read the letter to the Chairman of the Natural Resources Committee, click here

April 5, 2007: Western Resource Advocates is proud to announce that it has been selected by the Aveda Corporation to receive a portion of the funds raised during the 2007 Aveda Earth Month campaign. Aveda salons and spas will host a series of benefit events throughout April. Proceeds will be put toward ensuring that all people have safe, reliable, and sustainable sources of water.

January 30, 2007: If more than a dozen coal-fired power plants planned for Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah begin operating, they would emit global warming pollution equivalent to the tailpipe exhaust of 12.5 million cars driving around the Southwest for a year. The potential for such a huge increase in carbon dioxide emissions is the focus of a new report from Environmental Defense and Western Resource Advocates: “Climate Alert: Cleaner Energy for the Southwest.”