Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities
** Colorado coal plant owners tell feds to let power station close
------------------------------------------------------------
Monday, February 2, 2026
Colorado's Craig Unit 1 coal power generating station. Source: Wikimedia Commons ([link removed])
The owners of Craig Unit 1, a Colorado coal-fired plant, formally objected ([link removed]) to the Trump administration's plans to keep the plant open in a 38-page petition to the U.S. Department of Energy ([link removed]) last Thursday. Tri-State Generation and Platte River Power Authority joined the Colorado Attorney General and a coalition of environmental groups in opposing the administration's effort to override plans to retire the plant.
Tri-State operates the 45-year-old Craig Unit 1 and had planned since 2016 to retire the unit by the end of 2025. “We have planned for the retirement of this resource for over a decade and have proactively replaced the capacity and energy from new sources,” said ([link removed]) Jason Frisbie, general manager and CEO of Platte River, in a statement accompanying the petition. The utility and owners warned ([link removed]) that keeping the plant open will mean ratepayers will “unnecessarily bear the full cost of complying” with Energy Secretary Chris Wright's December 30, 2025 order to keep the plant running.
Craig Unit 1 alone emitted more than 2 million tons of carbon dioxide in 2024, ([link removed]) and also emits hundreds of tons of harmful pollutants like nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide. Colorado’s six remaining coal plants contribute a significant portion of the state’s overall output of about 115 million metric tons ([link removed]) of carbon.
** Quick hits
------------------------------------------------------------
Trump admin's push to sell federal properties doesn't add up
Public Domain ([link removed])
Colorado power plant owners tell feds to let coal station close
Colorado Sun ([link removed]) | Vail Daily ([link removed])
Western governors gather in Washington as fate of Colorado River hangs in the balance
Washington Post ([link removed]) | New York Times ([link removed]) | E&E News ([link removed])
Report: Trump's mining blitz benefits political allies, foreign mining companies
E&E News ([link removed]) | Public Citizen ([link removed]) [report]
Arizona utilities and state regulators double down on fossil fuels despite residents' opposition
Inside Climate News ([link removed])
Philadelphia judge questions National Park Service's abrupt removal of slavery exhibits
E&E News ([link removed])
'Energy dominance?' Solar would like a word
Inside Climate News ([link removed])
Opinion: Trump's pick to lead BLM will be a death sentence to off-roading on public lands
RideApart ([link removed])
** Quote of the day
------------------------------------------------------------
” We used these lands to go off-roading. We use them to hunt and fish, to camp and climb, and do everything under the sun and stars. They're our public lands, not some administration's. And they're most definitely not for sale, as the American people continually chant every time these folks rear their ugly, greedy heads.”
—Jonathon Klein, RideApart ([link removed])
** Picture This
------------------------------------------------------------
@mypubliclands ([link removed])
There’s something magical about seeing snow dust the desert ❄️
New Mexico’s Organ Mountains–Desert Peaks National Monument, managed by the Bureau of Land Management, showcases dramatic rocky spires, narrow canyons, and sweeping open ranges where the Chihuahuan Desert meets rugged mountains soaring above 9,000 feet.
Protected for its rich prehistoric, geologic, cultural, and biological resources, the monument offers outstanding opportunities for photography, hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking, camping, and wildlife viewing year-round.
📸 Justina Thorsen
@newmexicopubliclands ([link removed])
============================================================
** Website ([link removed])
** Instagram ([link removed])
** Facebook ([link removed])
** TikTok ([link removed])
** Medium ([link removed])
Copyright © 2026 Center for Western Priorities, All rights reserved.
You've signed up to receive Look West updates.
Center for Western Priorities
1999 Broadway
Suite 520
Denver, CO 80202
USA
** View this on the web ([link removed])
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can ** update your preferences ([link removed])
or ** unsubscribe from this list ([link removed])
