2024 Impact Report - Western Resource Advocates

Its goal to limit climate warming requires coordinated efforts, global commitments, and innovative policy solutions. And I’m proud WRA rose to the challenge. We stayed true to our core principles while exponentially expanding our efforts, sharpening our focus, and implementing policy changes that protect communities and wild places.

Our focus on state-level action is key to our success.

By bringing scientific, policy, and legal expertise to the places where decisions are made, we ensure state and local decision makers understand the urgency and practicality of forward-thinking environmental policy.

This year, as the U.S. withdraws from the Paris Agreement, our commitment to effective state action has never been more important. More intense drought, wildfires, and extreme weather continue to underscore the urgency of our work. But I remain hopeful because our talented team and our strategic plan, For Home, For Nature, confront these threats with determination, resources, and a clear vision to avert the worst impacts of climate change. Throughout my time with WRA, we’ve evolved to meet growing challenges, and three transformative moments remind me how far we’ve come.

We renewed our commitment to land protection by rebuilding our lands team, expanding efforts to prevent biodiversity loss, safeguard natural landscapes from development, and secure critical conservation funding. This work unites diverse partners around policies that preserve the West’s unique landscapes and habitats.

We created and invested in a tangible, data-driven plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions, an initiative we call the Climate Fix. Our bold goal to reduce carbon pollution attracted significant support from individuals and foundations alike, demonstrating that when you have an ambitious goal and clear strategy, momentum builds quickly. WRA supporters have demonstrated their eagerness to back a plan that tackles big problems and realizes real results.

We diversified our funding streams and continue building internal capacity across all WRA programs to deliver results more effectively. While a single multiyear grant once felt monumental, we now have many long-term supporters investing in our critical work to fight climate change and its impacts. Each new staff member and supporter broadens our collective reach and amplifies our impact, helping us craft stronger plans and develop solutions that benefit people and nature alike.

In this report you’ll see how each success — from securing historic conservation financing to advancing comprehensive climate legislation — moves us closer to our For Home, For Nature goals. It’s a testament to what happens when communities, advocates, and experts come together with a shared commitment to protecting the West we love. And it’s just the beginning.

With your support, WRA will continue to evolve, adapt, and strive for the ambitious changes that are necessary to safeguard our home — now and for generations to come.

But until recently, state agencies in New Mexico relied on sporadic or one-time appropriations to protect natural landscapes and cultural heritage sites. Gaps in funding, sometimes lasting years, caused the state to miss out on federal grants that required matching funds.

In 2023, after years of advocacy and coalition building championed by WRA, New Mexico established the Land of Enchantment Legacy Fund, its first permanent and dedicated source of conservation funding. This $100 million investment was a critical first step, but WRA knew it fell short of providing the long-term resources needed to meet growing and complex conservation needs across the state.

In 2024, New Mexico expanded its commitment with a historic $300 million investment to the Land of Enchantment Legacy Fund.

The funding will support broad conservation efforts in all 33 counties and Tribal communities across the state, providing a lifeline for land and water conservation, and outdoor equity initiatives.

WRA built a diverse coalition of organizations that worked closely with the governor’s office and state agencies to develop the legislation.

The Legacy Fund strengthens programs that protect New Mexico’s natural and cultural resources. This includes efforts to conserve land and water, restore forests and watersheds, improve outdoor recreation opportunities, support agriculture and working lands, preserve historic sites, and protect wildlife. Additionally, the fund will boost New Mexico’s growing $3.2 billion outdoor industry by creating jobs, expanding access to outdoor recreation, and supporting rural and agricultural communities. The funding also opens the door for state agencies to apply for federal grants, with every $1 from the Legacy Fund potentially attracting $3 to $4 in additional funding.

Later this year, the Legacy Fund will begin distributing $12.5 million annually to existing state conservation programs, supporting initiatives like forest health, outdoor recreation infrastructure, and water conservation. These investments will protect the people, wildlife, economy, and cultural heritage of New Mexico.

When it comes to conservation funding mechanisms like the Land of Enchantment Legacy Fund, New Mexico’s northern neighbor faces a strikingly different reality.

Nearly one-third of Colorado’s lands have already been altered by human development and only 10% of its lands are permanently protected.

Research conducted by The Nature Conservancy shows that 51% — 33.9 million acres — of Colorado’s highly valuable land base is still intact — natural areas that are essential to wildlife and biodiversity in a changing climate. Of these remaining highly valuable lands, 8.75 million acres — approximately 13% of the state — are both under threat by new development and completely unprotected.

WRA knows one of the most effective ways to fight climate change and safeguard wildlife and biodiversity is to enact policies and secure funding that protect high-value, at-risk lands from development like oil and gas production and urban sprawl. Without sufficient policies and funding sources, Colorado’s natural spaces will continue to rapidly shrink.

The negative impacts of oil and gas development include greenhouse gas emissions, pollutants that cause poor air quality, and the destruction and disturbance of natural areas and wildlife. Colorado incurs significant costs addressing these adverse and long-lasting impacts. Holding oil and gas companies financially accountable for the damage they cause reinforces the principle that those who are responsible for the harm to the environment should also fund its restoration.

WRA was the driving force behind drafting and advocating for legislation that created a fee on oil and gas production in the state in 2024. The bill will take effect in the summer of 2025 and is expected to generate as much as $50 million annually for Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

This revenue will allow the state to partially remediate the environmental harm caused by oil and gas production by making landmark investments in conservation. Funds will be used to create new state parks and wildlife areas, slow biodiversity loss and improve ecosystem resilience, improve wildlife connectivity and migration corridors, and restore lands to compensate for those lost to oil and gas development.

Across the West, land conservation depends on funding. New Mexico’s Land of Enchantment Legacy Fund is a forward-thinking investment that will help ensure that irreplaceable land and water resources are protected. This landmark win shows what’s possible when strategic advocacy, political will, and diverse coalitions come together to prioritize natural and cultural treasures. By holding oil and gas companies accountable, Colorado took a critical step toward securing lasting conservation funding, but its land remains exposed to development and the impacts of climate change.

The solution is clear: secure conservation funding before it’s too late.

We know what’s at stake, and we’re not stopping with these recent achievements. WRA is committed to protecting the landscapes and wildlife habitat that define the West. Together, with state decision makers, local leaders, and supporters like you, we can ensure a future where these natural spaces endure for generations to come.

Recognizing buildings as a top contributor to climate warming emissions, WRA helped pass a pivotal 2021 law requiring Colorado’s gas utilities to file comprehensive Clean Heat Plans. These plans must include measurable activities to cut emissions directly linked to gas use in buildings. Over the ensuing years, WRA engaged in rulemaking with the Colorado Public Utilities Commission and Air Pollution Control Division to implement the legislation in a robust and enforceable manner that would drive deep, cost-effective emission reductions.

When Xcel Energy, the state’s largest utility, submitted its inaugural Clean Heat Plan in August 2023, it proposed continued reliance on a variety of measures: energy efficiency, electrification, recovered methane, and green hydrogen, as well as investments in ineligible resources like certified gas and carbon offsets, which, at WRA’s urging, the Commission rejected.

WRA and our partners responded with detailed expert testimony. We made it clear that real pollution reductions will only come from reducing the combustion of fossil fuels in homes and businesses.

Our modeling showed that switching to electric heat pumps — especially as Colorado’s power grid continues adding wind and solar — could deliver as much as 80% of the needed emissions cuts. We also demonstrated that unpredictable gas prices make electrification and efficiency far more appealing for consumers, and that these strategies bring important air quality and public health benefits.

Roughly two out of three buildings in the Interior West still use fossil gas for cooking, heating water, or space heating, making rapid electrification both critical for the state’s climate strategy and an opportunity to protect residents from the volatile gas market.

After considering our testimony, analyses, and legal arguments, the Commission approved Xcel Energy’s revised landmark Clean Heat Plan in June 2024. The utility is now authorized to invest up to $440 million to shrink customers’ reliance on fossil fuels.

The primary measures to meet these goals include promoting electric heat pumps and ramping up energy efficiency through building weatherization and smart upgrades. The Commission limited investment in uncertain technologies like hydrogen, deeming it too expensive, and restricted the utility to spending just $10 million on recovered methane.

By focusing more heavily on proven strategies, the state expects this plan to prevent over 860,000 tons of climate pollution annually by 2027 — the equivalent of taking 160,000 cars off the road for an entire year.

Throughout the proceedings, WRA advocated for a Clean Heat Plan that prioritized low-income households by ensuring a portion of the program funds would go directly to rebates and support for home upgrades. State regulators agreed, designating at least $88 million of the funding for low-income communities, a move that helps ensure those who can least afford heating costs aren’t left behind. The Commission also supported on-bill financing — an approach WRA endorsed — that lets customers pay for energy-efficient appliances and weatherization gradually through their monthly utility bill, rather than facing large, upfront costs.

While this marks a critical win for WRA — and for Colorado — it also signals a much broader opportunity. If a major utility can pivot away from decades of fossil gas use without undercutting reliability or affordability, other states across the Interior West and beyond will take note.

Over the next several years, WRA and policymakers will be watching to see how quickly Coloradans adopt heat pumps, how effectively low-income households tap into rebates, and whether the construction and HVAC industries ramp up a new workforce skilled in installing and maintaining electric heating systems.

In the meantime, WRA will continue pushing for robust implementation and accountability across the state. We will monitor Xcel’s progress to ensure its Clean Heat Plan delivers on its promises — both in reducing emissions and providing real consumer benefits — and we will remain actively involved in utility rate cases, infrastructure proposals, and future rulemaking to ensure we continue to make progress in the transition away from methane gas.

Our work in Colorado shows that building electrification and strategic energy efficiency can deliver reliable, affordable heat while slashing climate pollution. WRA is using this same research and model to advance building decarbonization policy in other states across our region.

Your support allows WRA to develop innovative policy solutions like clean heat, and helps utilities across the region embrace electrification and efficiency. That means a cleaner, healthier future not just for Coloradans, but for families and businesses across the West.

Determined to find deployable solutions, WRA joined forces with six other conservation groups to draw on the latest science, computer modeling, and real-world insights to develop the Cooperative Conservation Alternative. This proposal offers a roadmap for protecting the river and all that depends on it.

The river is a living system with seasonal flows, fragile habitats, fish and wildlife that depend on adequate water — and real limits. That’s why WRA isn’t just addressing what’s happening now, we’re looking decades into the future.

This year, the stakes for the Colorado River couldn’t be higher.

The current rules governing how water shortages are handled expire at the end of the year, forcing a reevaluation of how the river is managed. The Bureau of Reclamation is sifting through alternative proposals, including the Cooperative Conservation Alternative, with the intent to develop new guidelines that address water shortages, manage releases from the nation’s two largest reservoirs, and build resilience to drought and climate change.

WRA is focused on a suite of strategies to protect river health, prioritize reservoir operations that anticipate drought conditions, and encourage innovative conservation methods. Our team of experts transformed years of research and findings into actionable policy recommendations that could stabilize the river for years to come.

Early agreements doled out the river’s water without considering the health of the environment, and without a plan to deal with inevitable and increasingly frequent shortages. Short-term deals to address the water crisis didn’t hold up for long. Under the strain of a hotter, drier climate, even less water will be available in coming decades. We need to reduce water use by at least 25% across the basin to bring the river back into balance. Without bold, cohesive management strategies, the Colorado River risks continued reservoir declines, significant economic and community impacts, and ecological collapse.

The Colorado River is the lifeblood of the Interior West, supporting the daily lives of 35 million people, irrigating farms that feed the nation, and fueling a robust recreation economy. Its future depends on our ability to implement equitable and forward-thinking strategies to conserve water and keep the river healthy and flowing.

Building upon years of research, rigorous data analysis, and policy expertise, WRA is a leader in rethinking how to manage the Colorado River — in a way that benefits both people and ecosystems.

WRA is focused on three strategies for river management: protecting wildlife habitat, proactively managing reservoirs, and adopting innovative water savings programs.

First, the West depends on a healthy Colorado River. At WRA, we’re advocating for policies that protect the ecosystems we, and other species, all rely on. This includes timing reservoir releases to maximize ecological benefits, including meeting recommended flows for endangered fish, which also has benefits for recreational boating.

Second, instead of waiting for the river’s major reservoirs — Lake Mead and Lake Powell — to reach emergency levels, WRA proposes adjusting water deliveries based on the best available data like basin-wide reservoir storage and actual river flows. This proactive approach helps stabilize reservoir levels and limit drastic last-minute cuts, while supporting habitat management for endangered fish and wildlife.

And finally, establishing a water savings account to set aside conserved water and allow it to be moved between the reservoirs could buffer reservoir levels against drought and help maintain healthy river flows throughout the West for endangered fish, for wildlife habitat, and to mimic historic flooding events that rebuild sandbars and beaches.

WRA is advocating for key elements of these strategies to be included in the new guidelines because they have the power to transform the future of the Colorado River.

This is a rare opportunity to guide a thoughtful, data-driven approach that looks beyond the immediate crises and sets the river on a path of resilience for decades to come. The Colorado River deserves a future shaped by cooperation, innovation, and stewardship — a future WRA is working tirelessly to achieve.

Without decisive action today, the river that defines the West faces an uncertain fate. Your support allows WRA to continue the research, policy development, and advocacy needed to protect it — ensuring a sustainable future for the river and the communities that depend on it.

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The Time is Now

A Word from the President

A Decade of Growth

A Year in Review

Sustained 80% of Colorado’s wildlife by passing a state-level clean water act that restores critical safeguards for wetlands

Eliminated the $29M cap on sports betting revenues, guaranteeing extra funding goes to the Colorado Water Conservation Board by supporting Proposition JJ

Transformed how Coloradans heat homes and businesses through Xcel Energy’s Clean Heat Plan

Held oil and gas accountable in Colorado through a new production fee that will protect lands and create new state parks

Joined forces with six other conservation groups across Colorado River Basin states to protect the river and ecosystems that sustain the West

Saved Nevada families over $300 per year on their energy bills by preventing a proposed rate increase

Passed legislation banning water-guzzling turfgrasses in seldom-used areas and accelerated water-wise landscaping in Colorado

Over 780 stream miles were protected across the West in 2024

$300M investment secured in recurring annual funding to protect New Mexico’s land and water through the Land of Enchantment Legacy Fund

25 legislative bills were passed to protect the environment, economy, and people in in New Mexico, Nevada, and Colorado

Why Land Conservation Starts with Funding

WRA is Driving Clean Heating for Our Homes and Businesses

A Roadmap: The Passing of the Clean Heat Plan

2021

WINTER 2022-2023

JULY 2023

AUGUST 2023

JUNE 2024

BY 2025

Securing the Future for a Healthy Colorado River

Protecting a Living River

Under Threat

35 Milestones for 35 Years of Climate Action.

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