Western Resource Advocates is an environmental advocacy organization that has a focus in the American Rocky Mountain states. A major initiative of the organization is bringing legal cases to restrict industrial activity to stop climate change.

The organization is an advocate of the government mandating steep cuts in carbon dioxide emissions, regardless of the economic cost. It has recently put pressure on the state of Colorado to take more action to reduce carbon emissions by pointing out the state was falling behind on its stated goals. ¹

The organization supports strict emission reduction requirements for traditional and reliable sources of energy such as the oil and gas industry. In 2021, the organization criticized the state of Colorado for trying to work with the oil and gas industry on reducing methane emissions standards that were seen as not punitive towards the industry. ²

Background

Western Resource Advocates is an environmental advocacy organization that has a focus on the Rocky Mountain western states. The organization has the goals of combating climate change, promoting urban water conservation, and advocating for a preservationist model of government land ownership at the expense of the development of the land. ³

The organization started in Boulder, Colorado in 1989 as a legal aid group that provided free or low-cost legal counsel for people who were looking to sue industry and governments for environmental protection reasons. The organization has since grown to incorporate more than lawyers and legal services: it has since added economists and policy advocates and has become a membership-based organization for people looking to work on environmental advocacy that seeks to expand the role of the government in the economy. The organization’s focus has expanded from Colorado, and has offices all over the Rocky Mountain west. ⁴

Issue Stances

The organization is a major critic of traditional sources of energy such as conventional fuels. Instead, it advocates for the adoption of weather-dependent and intermittent sources of energy such as wind and solar. It is a critic of the development of oil shale in the Rocky Mountain west, claiming that it could harm water quality. ⁵

It takes an adversarial stance towards oil and gas companies, even when they are willing to accept deep reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. In 2021, the organization criticized the state of Colorado for not requiring oil and gas companies to reduce their methane emissions by a large enough amount. ⁶

The organization has also been critical of the pace of the state of Colorado’s goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Recently, the organization has put pressure on the state to reduce greenhouse gas emissions even further by pointing out that it was not meeting its goals. ⁷

Leadership

Jon Goldin-Dubois is the president of the organization. He has worked as president of the organization since 2014. ⁸

Eli Feldman is the chair of the board of directors. He is the president of Conscience Bay Company, a company that specializes in ESG (environmental, social, and governance) oriented real estate investments. ⁹

Funding

According to its 2020 tax return, the organization had $9,418,691 in revenue and $8,725,860 in expenses. It had $13,158,910 in assets. More than 50 percent of the expenses of the organization were for salaries. ¹⁰

The outdoor apparel company Patagonia is a supporter of the organization and features it on Patagonia Action Works. ¹¹

In 2001, the William and Flora Hewitt Foundation awarded a $75,000 grant to the organization. ¹²

In 2013, the Gates Family Foundation awarded a $50,000 grant to the organization. ¹³

1. Booth, Michael. “Colorado Is Falling behind on Its Mandate to Cut Greenhouse Gases .” The Colorado Sun, September 19, 2022. https://coloradosun.com/2022/09/19/colorado-failing-greenhouse-gas-air-pollution-goals/.
2. Jaffe, Mark. “First-in-the-U.S. Rules That Give Oil and Gas Industry Leeway in Slashing Emissions Ok’d in Colorado.” The Colorado Sun, December 20, 2021. https://coloradosun.com/2021/12/20/greenhouse-gas-reduction-oil-gas-colorado/.
3. “Nonprofit Spotlight: Western Resource Advocates.” Boulder Daily Camera. Boulder Daily Camera, August 15, 2009. https://www.dailycamera.com/2009/08/15/nonprofit-spotlight-western-resource-advocates/.
4. “Nonprofit Spotlight: Western Resource Advocates.” Boulder Daily Camera. Boulder Daily Camera, August 15, 2009. https://www.dailycamera.com/2009/08/15/nonprofit-spotlight-western-resource-advocates/.
5. “Nonprofit Spotlight: Western Resource Advocates.” Boulder Daily Camera. Boulder Daily Camera, August 15, 2009. https://www.dailycamera.com/2009/08/15/nonprofit-spotlight-western-resource-advocates/.
6. Jaffe, Mark. “First-in-the-U.S. Rules That Give Oil and Gas Industry Leeway in Slashing Emissions Ok’d in Colorado.” The Colorado Sun, December 20, 2021. https://coloradosun.com/2021/12/20/greenhouse-gas-reduction-oil-gas-colorado/.
7. Booth, Michael. “Colorado Is Falling behind on Its Mandate to Cut Greenhouse Gases .” The Colorado Sun, September 19, 2022. https://coloradosun.com/2022/09/19/colorado-failing-greenhouse-gas-air-pollution-goals/.
8. “Jon Goldin-Dubois.” Western Resource Advocates. Accessed April 16, 2023. https://westernresourceadvocates.org/staff/jon-goldin-dubois/#.
9. “Eli Feldman.” Western Resource Advocates. Accessed April 16, 2023. https://westernresourceadvocates.org/board-directors/eli-feldman/.
10. [1]“Western Resource Advocates – Nonprofit Explorer.” ProPublica. Accessed April 16, 2023. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/841113831.
11. “Western Resource Advocates.” Patagonia Action Works. Accessed April 16, 2023. https://www.patagonia.com/actionworks/organizations/western-resource-advocates/.
12. [1]“Western Resource Advocates – for the Smart Water Project.” Hewlett Foundation. Accessed April 16, 2023. https://hewlett.org/grants/western-resource-advocates-for-the-smart-water-project/.
13. [1]“Western Resource Advocates.” Gates Family Foundation. Accessed April 16, 2023. https://gatesfamilyfoundation.org/grant/western-resource-advocates/.