Colorado ranchers join fight against fossil fuel companies

Michigan Advance · Stories From The States · September 4, 2026

Kathleen Sullivan Kelley rides one of her horses at her Rio Blanco County ranch. (Photo courtesy of Kathleen Sullivan Kelley) Stories From The States is a weekly podcast from States Newsroom that explores, through personal stories, how people and communities across America are being affected by government decisions. Listen now wherever you get your podcasts.

In Colorado, officials in the city of Boulder and Boulder County have filed a lawsuit against Suncor Energy and Exxon Mobil. They are seeking monetary damages for costs incurred responding to wildfires, repairing transportation infrastructure, restoring watersheds and other devastation caused by climate change.

The officials are not seeking to regulate emissions or fossil fuel production, but they want the companies to help pay for harms Boulder contends were caused by their industry.

Some counties, however, have filed court records in support of Suncor and Exxon Mobil at taxpayers’ expense. When Deirdre Macnab learned hers was one of them, she rallied her fellow ranchers in support of Boulder’s cause.

In Episode 44, you’ll meet Macnab and Kathleen Sullivan Kelley, both ranchers in Rio Blanco County, Colorado. They’ll discuss their firsthand experiences of how climate change is taking a toll on their lands and why they decided to get involved.

You’ll also get a weekly news wrap-up from Evening Wrap newsletter writer Danielle Gaines and Daybreak newsletter writer Madyson Fitzgerald . They’ve got you covered on the latest about: the death of a Ohio Haitian college student who lost temporary protected status, the growing interest from tech developers and data center companies to expand their efforts on tribal land in the Southwest and the future of e-scooters in Pennsylvania.

Episode produced and edited by Mallory Cheng. Music for Stories From The States composed by David Singer . A special thank you to Sharon Sullivan from Colorado Newsline.

Click here for the full transcript.

Relevant reading from States Newsroom outlets and partners:

These Colorado ranchers want fossil fuel companies held accountable (Colorado Newsline)

Oil lobby tanking climate Superfund bills in Oregon, 11 states despite public support, study finds (Oregon Capital Chronicle)

Private gas plants to power data centers would skirt state’s renewable energy law (Nevada Current)

Georgia cattlemen push back on Trump’s plan to import beef in bid to lower prices (Georgia Recorder)

What climate science tells us about the causes of the Colorado River crisis (Colorado Newsline)

Got questions? An episode idea? Email us at podcast@statesnewsroom.com

This podcast is produced by States Newsroom , a nonprofit news network which includes Michigan Advance, and is supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity.

Read the full story at Michigan Advance