Headlines Thursday, May 28, 2026
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Utahns protest data center near Salt Lake City; Gasoline spill raises concerns about local safety in southwest CO; Polis signs four wildlife & ecosystem protection bills KGNU News
Utahns protest data center near Salt Lake City
Hundreds of people rallied at the Utah State Capitol in Salt Lake City last Saturday to protest a proposed data center in Box Elder County that would be one of the largest facilities of its kind in the world.
Shannon Barton, a community organizer spoke at the “Dump Data Centers” rally.
Barton is with the group Box Elder Accountability Referendum, or BEAR, which is leading an effort to stop the project.
“It was a beautiful moment of people coming together, Republicans, Democrats, Independents, Forward Party, everybody,” she states. “Something really special is happening in Box Elder and around Utah. The members of BEAR are thrilled and touched that people from Utah want to be part of our movement.”
Organizers with BEAR are now gathering signatures to place a referendum before voters that would overturn the unanimous approval of the data center project by Box Elder County commissioners.
Substantial gasoline spill raises concerns about local safety in southwest CO
A major gasoline spill on Southern Ute tribal land in southwest Colorado is raising concerns about drinking water contamination and pipeline safety.
According to the Telluride Times, the spill was first discovered in late 2024 after cows walking through a field exposed the leak.
Officials say between 97,000 and 200,000 gallons of gasoline leaked from a forty-year-old pipeline near Ignacio.
Enterprise Products Partners, the company responsible for the pipeline, says it has workers on site daily, recovered thousands of gallons of fuel, and continues groundwater testing and cleanup efforts.
However, the Southern Ute tribe has grown increasingly frustrated with what tribal leaders characterize as a slow response and misrepresentation from Enterprise. The tribe says the gasoline plume has contaminated more than one-hundred acres of drinking water aquifer and moved closer to the Animas River. Tribal leaders also say some residents have already lost access to their wells and homes because of contamination.
The company plans to replace the section of pipeline running through tribal land, but local officials remain concerned about older sections still running beneath rivers across southwest Colorado.
Polis signs four wildlife & ecosystem protection bills
Governor Jared Polis signed a pair of bills into law yesterday meant to cut back on harmful interactions between humans and wildlife.
Starting next year, Colorado drivers renewing a vehicle registration will have the option to kick in 5 bucks for new wildlife crossings. These grassy bridges over roadways, or underpasses that tunnel below give wild animals a critical car-free path to move through the landscape. According to the Colorado Department of Transportation, they can prevent up to 92% of collisions with wildlife.
Polis also signed a bill meant to reduce human-bear conflicts. It increases penalties for leaving food out where it might lure a bear into contact with people. Most bear encounters in Colorado are related to garbage and food waste. The new law makes the first violation a misdemeanor and more than doubles the penalty for a third offense. It takes effect in August.
Governor Jared Polis also signed a pair of bills into law earlier this week meant to support Colorado’s ecosystems and pollinators.
A state commissioned study from 2024 found Colorado’s pollinators are under serious threat from habitat loss, poor land management, pesticides and climate change. Two laws aim to mitigate some of those threats.
One law requires state agencies to prioritize planting native, pollinator-friendly plants on public lands and to manage state properties with pollinator health in mind.
Polis signed another bill to try to control pesticide waste by creating a new program to give manufacturers and applicators a safe way to dispose of their leftover products and containers, preventing leftover chemicals from leeching out into the environment.
This story was reported by the Colorado Capitol News Alliance.
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