![](https://www.cpr.org/cdn-cgi/image/width=3840,quality=75,format=auto/https://wp-cpr.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2020/11/201119-CANOPY-AT-RED-OAK-PARK-SOLAR-PANELS-ENERGY-BOULDER-KEVINJBEATY-04.jpg)
Here’s what’s behind those scammy social media ads for free solar panels
Welcome to the shady underbelly of the sunshine industry, which falsely promises no-cost panels and Tesla Powerwalls.
![](https://www.cpr.org/cdn-cgi/image/width=3840,quality=75,format=auto/https://wp-cpr.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2019/05/2015.cpr-staff-fellow-sam-brasch-square-for-web.creditCPR.jpg)
By Sam Brasch
![WILDFIRE-RECAP-EAST-TROUBLESOME-GRANBY](https://www.cpr.org/cdn-cgi/image/width=3840,quality=75,format=auto/https://wp-cpr.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2021/01/WILDFIRE-RECAP-EAST-TROUBLESOME-HV-0002.jpg)
Why Colorado should expect a drier future with more wildfires and air pollution
The state’s updated climate change report finds rising temperatures will make it harder for Colorado to hold onto its critical water resources.
![](https://www.cpr.org/cdn-cgi/image/width=3840,quality=75,format=auto/https://wp-cpr.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2019/05/2015.cpr-staff-fellow-sam-brasch-square-for-web.creditCPR.jpg)
By Sam Brasch
![blue flame on a gas stove](https://www.cpr.org/cdn-cgi/image/width=3840,quality=75,format=auto/https://wp-cpr.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2023/06/gas-stove-hv.jpg)
Campaign to protect natural gas at the Colorado ballot box gains momentum and money
Major oil and gas operators have thrown $3.4 million behind a proposed measure that asks voters to protect fossil fuel appliances from state and local climate policies.
![](https://www.cpr.org/cdn-cgi/image/width=3840,quality=75,format=auto/https://wp-cpr.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2019/05/2015.cpr-staff-fellow-sam-brasch-square-for-web.creditCPR.jpg)
By Sam Brasch
![](https://www.cpr.org/cdn-cgi/image/width=3840,quality=75,format=auto/https://wp-cpr.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2023/06/230610-EBIKES-BICYCLES-EREVOLUTION-TRADE-AND-CONSUMER-SHOW-COLORADO-CONVENTION-CENTER-DOWNTOWN-KEVINJBEATY-21.jpg)
Colorado’s statewide e-bike program is so popular that it’s already used up its initial funding
So far, 4,520 Colorado residents have bought electric bicycles with the help of discounts worth a total of $5,417,300.
![](https://www.cpr.org/cdn-cgi/image/width=3840,quality=75,format=auto/https://wp-cpr.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2019/05/2015.cpr-staff-fellow-sam-brasch-square-for-web.creditCPR.jpg)
By Sam Brasch
![CRESTED-BUTTE—CITY-HALL-FALL-201024](https://www.cpr.org/cdn-cgi/image/width=3840,quality=75,format=auto/https://wp-cpr.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2020/10/201024-CRESTED-BUTTE-FALL-0016.jpg)
How a gas utility fought to keep two Colorado towns hooked on fossil fuels
Colorado is now among a handful of states trying to prevent utilities from using ratepayer money for political influence
![](https://www.cpr.org/cdn-cgi/image/width=3840,quality=75,format=auto/https://wp-cpr.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2019/05/2015.cpr-staff-fellow-sam-brasch-square-for-web.creditCPR.jpg)
By Sam Brasch
![Western Gray Wolf 25 Years](https://www.cpr.org/cdn-cgi/image/width=3840,quality=75,format=auto/https://wp-cpr.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2023/05/AP20302599228536-scaled.jpg)
Federal court rejects ranchers’ lawsuit to pause Colorado wolf reintroduction
The decision clears a path for Colorado to release its first batch of wolves as soon as Monday.
![](https://www.cpr.org/cdn-cgi/image/width=3840,quality=75,format=auto/https://wp-cpr.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2019/05/2015.cpr-staff-fellow-sam-brasch-square-for-web.creditCPR.jpg)
By Sam Brasch
![Fort Collins Ace Hardware Lawn Mowers Face Mask](https://www.cpr.org/cdn-cgi/image/width=3840,quality=75,format=auto/https://wp-cpr.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2020/05/200527-FORT-COLLINS-HARDWARE-LAWN-MOWER-FACE-MASK-001.jpg)
Colorado sets new regulations on gas-powered lawn tools. Clean air advocates say they don’t go far enough
The rules require public entities to transition to electric tools, but won’t affect individuals or commercial landscaping companies.
![](https://www.cpr.org/cdn-cgi/image/width=3840,quality=75,format=auto/https://wp-cpr.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2019/05/2015.cpr-staff-fellow-sam-brasch-square-for-web.creditCPR.jpg)
By Sam Brasch
![Yellowstone Wolves Killed](https://www.cpr.org/cdn-cgi/image/width=3840,quality=75,format=auto/https://wp-cpr.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2022/12/AP22006674277225-scaled.jpg)
Colorado could reintroduce wolves as soon as next week — if it’s not stopped by a federal court
Colorado Parks and Wildlife is on track to dart and capture up to 10 gray wolves in Oregon starting Sunday, but a lawsuit could put a pause on the voter-mandated plan.
![](https://www.cpr.org/cdn-cgi/image/width=3840,quality=75,format=auto/https://wp-cpr.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2019/05/2015.cpr-staff-fellow-sam-brasch-square-for-web.creditCPR.jpg)
By Sam Brasch
![](https://www.cpr.org/cdn-cgi/image/width=3840,quality=75,format=auto/https://wp-cpr.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2023/11/231109-NREL-NATIONAL-RENEWABLE-ENERGY-LABORATORY-WAVE-POWER-GREEN-SUSTAINABLE-ENERGY-ARVADA-KEVINJBEATY-26.jpg)
Why the future of wave energy runs through Colorado
A new tank at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Arvada could help humanity harvest the immense power of the ocean.
![](https://www.cpr.org/cdn-cgi/image/width=3840,quality=75,format=auto/https://wp-cpr.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2019/05/2015.cpr-staff-fellow-sam-brasch-square-for-web.creditCPR.jpg)
By Sam Brasch
![](https://www.cpr.org/cdn-cgi/image/width=3840,quality=75,format=auto/https://wp-cpr.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2023/11/20220126-gas-stove002-1024x683-1.png)
In a reversal, Xcel Energy won’t use carbon offsets or certified natural gas to clean up its gas system
The revised plan is a win for environmental groups but it doesn’t clarify how the state’s largest utility plans to meet legally mandated climate targets.
![](https://www.cpr.org/cdn-cgi/image/width=3840,quality=75,format=auto/https://wp-cpr.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2019/05/2015.cpr-staff-fellow-sam-brasch-square-for-web.creditCPR.jpg)
By Sam Brasch
![](https://www.cpr.org/cdn-cgi/image/width=3840,quality=75,format=auto/https://wp-cpr.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2021/09/210924-I-70-HIGHWAY-TRAFFIC-ELYRIA-SWANSEA-DENVER-CARS-VEHICLES-DRIVING-SUVS-TRANSPORTATION-KEVINJBEATY-08.jpg)
Why is Colorado off track to miss its first big climate goals? Short answer: cars
The state is making a lot of gains by shifting away from coal and cleaning up drilling, but slow progress on cutting planet-warming emissions from transportation is derailing its climate goals.
![](https://www.cpr.org/cdn-cgi/image/width=3840,quality=75,format=auto/https://wp-cpr.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2019/05/NATHANIEL-MINOR-2-by-Hart-Van-Denburg-CPR-News.jpg)
![](https://www.cpr.org/cdn-cgi/image/width=3840,quality=75,format=auto/https://wp-cpr.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2023/11/AP23160298002164-scaled-1.png)
Colorado is ready to help pay for geothermal heating and cooling systems
A new state grant program will award $12 million for projects to harvest energy below the earth’s surface.
![](https://www.cpr.org/cdn-cgi/image/width=3840,quality=75,format=auto/https://wp-cpr.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2019/05/2015.cpr-staff-fellow-sam-brasch-square-for-web.creditCPR.jpg)
By Sam Brasch
![gray wolf](https://www.cpr.org/cdn-cgi/image/width=3840,quality=75,format=auto/https://wp-cpr.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2019/07/gray-wolf_usfws_3x2_21739.png)
Feds approve Colorado’s plan to reintroduce wolves — and kill them in some cases
By designating gray wolves as an “experimental population,” the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has cleared a path for Colorado to release the predators ahead of a Dec.
![](https://www.cpr.org/cdn-cgi/image/width=3840,quality=75,format=auto/https://wp-cpr.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2019/05/2015.cpr-staff-fellow-sam-brasch-square-for-web.creditCPR.jpg)
By Sam Brasch
![FORT-ST-VRAIN-POWER-GENERATING-STATION-EXCEL-ENERGY](https://www.cpr.org/cdn-cgi/image/width=3840,quality=75,format=auto/https://wp-cpr.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2021/11/FORT-ST-VRAIN-POWER-GENERATING-STATION-EXCEL-ENERGY-4.jpg)
Xcel Energy faces new pressure to leave the American Gas Association
A coalition of environmental and racial justice groups say Xcel Energy’s membership in a powerful fossil fuel trade group undermines its commitment to clean energy.
![](https://www.cpr.org/cdn-cgi/image/width=3840,quality=75,format=auto/https://wp-cpr.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2019/05/2015.cpr-staff-fellow-sam-brasch-square-for-web.creditCPR.jpg)
By Sam Brasch
![](https://www.cpr.org/cdn-cgi/image/width=3840,quality=75,format=auto/https://wp-cpr.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2023/01/20230106-snowy-gas-meter001-scaled.jpg)
Why Colorado energy bills should be lower this winter
The drop is welcome news, but it’s unclear if it will be to help many customers catch up after falling into debt last year.
![](https://www.cpr.org/cdn-cgi/image/width=3840,quality=75,format=auto/https://wp-cpr.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2019/05/2015.cpr-staff-fellow-sam-brasch-square-for-web.creditCPR.jpg)
By Sam Brasch
![The new park "cap" over I-70 in Elyria Swansea. Nov. 30, 2022.](https://www.cpr.org/cdn-cgi/image/width=3840,quality=75,format=auto/https://wp-cpr.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2022/11/221130-I-CENTRAL-70-ELYRIA-SWANSEA-PARK-RIBBON-CUTTING-HIGHWAYS-KEVINJBEATY-13.jpg)
Colorado built a park over I-70 to contain pollution. Is the air safe to breathe?
CPR News tested the air quality at the Central 70 Cover Park to see whether it reduced pollution.
![](https://www.cpr.org/cdn-cgi/image/width=3840,quality=75,format=auto/https://wp-cpr.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2019/05/2015.cpr-staff-fellow-sam-brasch-square-for-web.creditCPR.jpg)
By Sam Brasch