Colorado Targeted by Fossil Fuel Industry’s Disinformation Playbook

The Union of Concerned Scientists documents how the fossil fuel industry in Colorado employs four primary disinformation tactics—The Fix, The Diversion, The Screen, and The Fake—to maintain political control and undermine public health and safety. The report details the industry's use of front groups, lobbying, and misleading economic claims to thwart regulations and ballot initiatives, while highlighting the disproportionate impact of pollution on communities of color and low-income residents. It concludes with recommendations for state regulators to prioritize science and community voices over industry profits.

• The fossil fuel industry in Colorado utilizes a 'Disinformation Playbook' consisting of four tactics: 'The Fix' (manipulating government officials), 'The Diversion' (manufacturing scientific uncertainty), 'The Screen' (buying credibility through alliances), and 'The Fake' (promoting misleading research).
• Industry spending has been used to overwhelm public opposition to health and safety ballot initiatives. In 2016, opponents of a mandatory setback amendment out-raised proponents by a ratio of 24:1, with nearly $17 million coming from energy industry companies or front groups.
• The industry employs 'astroturf' front groups, such as Protect Colorado and Coloradans for Responsible Energy Development (CRED), to create a false appearance of grassroots support and oppose climate and energy policies.
• The oil and gas industry has established influential ties with academic institutions to lend credibility to industry-favorable reports. Specifically, the Common Sense Policy Roundtable (CSPR) exercised control over economic modeling and reports from the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado Boulder.
• Industry claims regarding economic contributions are significantly inflated. While CRED ads claim the industry supports 'hundreds of thousands of jobs,' Bureau of Economic Analysis data shows oil and gas extraction accounted for only 24,786 jobs in Colorado in 2019, representing less than 1 percent of state jobs.
• Oil and gas operations disproportionately harm marginalized populations. In Commerce City, the Suncor petroleum refinery is located in communities that are majority people of color and majority low-income, and it is one of the state's most polluting facilities.
• Air pollution from the industry is linked to severe health issues. Research indicates that children and young adults with acute lymphocytic leukemia were 4.3 times more likely to live in areas dense with active oil and gas wells.
• Climate change, driven by fossil fuel emissions, has created an 'ozone climate penalty' along the Colorado Front Range, increasing ground-level ozone and exacerbating health burdens for disenfranchised communities.
• Abandoned and 'orphaned' wells pose significant environmental and safety risks, including methane leaks and explosions. In 2020, the state's Orphaned Well Program spent over $4.7 million, but industry bonds covered only about 10 percent of that cost.

APA

Cole, N., Ullman, O., Mulvey, K., & Pinko, N. (2021). Colorado Targeted by Fossil Fuel Industry’s Disinformation Playbook. Union of Concerned Scientists. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2022-01/Colorado-Targeted-by-Fossil-Fuel-Industry-Disinformation-Playbook-u.pdf

Chicago

Cole, Nancy, Ortal Ullman, Kathy Mulvey, and Nicole Pinko. Colorado Targeted by Fossil Fuel Industry’s Disinformation Playbook. Union of Concerned Scientists, 2021. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2022-01/Colorado-Targeted-by-Fossil-Fuel-Industry-Disinformation-Playbook-u.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Cole |first1=Nancy |last2=Ullman |first2=Ortal |last3=Mulvey |first3=Kathy |last4=Pinko |first4=Nicole |title=Colorado Targeted by Fossil Fuel Industry’s Disinformation Playbook |publisher=Union of Concerned Scientists |date=October 2021 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2022-01/Colorado-Targeted-by-Fossil-Fuel-Industry-Disinformation-Playbook-u.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{cole2021colorado, author = {Cole, Nancy and Ullman, Ortal and Mulvey, Kathy and Pinko, Nicole}, title = {{Colorado Targeted by Fossil Fuel Industry’s Disinformation Playbook}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2021}, month = oct, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2022-01/Colorado-Targeted-by-Fossil-Fuel-Industry-Disinformation-Playbook-u.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }