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Colorado conservationists, environmental groups gear up for battle with Trump administration: "We're ready to fight"

Colorado environmental groups gear up for legal battles with Trump administration
Colorado environmental groups gear up for legal battles with Trump administration 03:11

Oil and gas are a big part of Colorado's economy and many are excited about expedited drilling permits.

Conservationists and environmental groups say they have a battle ahead and hope state policies will be safeguards against federal rollbacks.

"We're ready to fight," said Delaney Rudy, Colorado director of Western Watersheds, a nonprofit environmental conservation group. "I'd like to say I'm hopeful, but I'm cautious."

The group aims to conserve public lands, wildlife, and water in Colorado and other western states. In the past, they've filed lawsuits and battled executive orders in court that would restrict the public's access to government lands or offer those lands to private enterprise."

"I think a lot of us are sort of waiting in apprehension," she said.

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Delaney Rudy, Colorado director of Western Watersheds   CBS

That apprehension is from rollbacks or changes to environmental policy that we may see under a new Trump administration. After fighting in court for much of Trump's last term, Rudy says the fight may be even harder now.

"We learned a lot from Trump 1 and Trump 1 learned a lot from us from our fights in the policies that they put forward," she explained, essentially saying the two entities are evolving together in their battles against one another.

Whether it's inaugural pledges to return to fossil fuel usage, rollbacks of electric vehicle development, or an executive order to leave the Paris climate agreement, concerns among environmentalists are palpable.

Fracking operations along the Front Range of Colorado.
A large fracking operation becomes a new part of the horizon with Mount Meeker and Longs Peak looming in the background on Dec. 28, 2017 in Loveland. As fracking and oil and gas exploration continue to explode along the Front Range, operations such as these are seen more and more. Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post via Getty Images

In his executive order about ending international climate agreements, the president said some recent agreements steer American taxpayer dollars to countries that don't require or merit U.S. financial assistance.

But Angela Simental, who works with Conservation Colorado and its' coalition of environmentalist groups, says that Colorado's commitment to climate goals safeguards them from the full effect of what could happen.

"Colorado is already a national leader in climate action," she told CBS Colorado.

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Angela Simental, of Conservation Colorado CBS

Simental went on to say that states are increasingly leading the charge on climate initiatives and that she feels Colorado and its' residents will continue to advocate for a greener future.

"People who live here, who have moved here -- they love this state," Simental said. "They love the outdoors, and they want to take care of our state."

"Natural resources exist for the betterment of all Americans and need to be preserved and need to be conserved for the future," Rudy added.

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