These Colorado Ranchers Want Fossil Fuel Companies Held Accountable – Pagosa Daily Post News Events & Video for Pagosa Springs Colorado

Rio Blanco County rancher Kathleen Sullivan Kelley now hauls water from Meeker every three days after losing surface water on her property and surviving last year's Lee Fire, which destroyed fencing, buildings, and decades of infrastructure. She is one of seven ranchers who filed a Supreme Court brief supporting Boulder and Boulder County's lawsuit against Suncor Energy and Exxon Mobil, which seeks damages for wildfire and infrastructure costs tied to climate change.

The lawsuit does not seek to regulate emissions, only to recover costs; the defendants argue states lack authority to regulate pollution originating beyond their borders. The Supreme Court granted review after Colorado's top court allowed Boulder's case to proceed, and will decide whether federal law precludes such state claims.

Rancher Deirdre Macnab learned Rio Blanco County commissioners spent $7,500 in taxpayer money on a brief supporting Suncor and Exxon, prompting her to organize fellow ranchers, including Kathryn Bedell, who may need to sell her entire herd this fall due to drought, and Jay Fletcher, who has watched snowmelt dates shift earlier throughout his life. Suncor and Exxon both reported record profits last year and did not respond to requests for comment.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.