“Emily Hornback, executive director of the Western Colorado Alliance, said that after her group worked for decades to get leasing reforms including the higher royalty rate implemented, it is a “huge loss to see those royalty rates rolled back to 12.5 percent.”

Hornback noted that Taxpayers for Common Sense has estimated that the reduced royalty rate will result in an estimated $15.5 million in lost royalties for the federal government and Colorado over the lifetime of the leases sold this week.”