The re-election of President Donald Trump has thrown the environmental community into a tizzy over how his new policies on oil and gas exploration might affect climate change.

Organizations including the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Sierra Club and the Environmental Defense Fund have expressed significant concern about potential rollbacks of policies aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

“Just days after the election, we are already seeing big polluters emboldened by Donald Trump’s agenda to increase costly fossil fuel use and devastate our public health and our environment,” Sierra Club Executive Director Ben Jealous said in a statement. “Ramping up coal use would mean higher monthly costs for ratepayers, more deadly pollution in our communities, and more climate chaos, all for the sake of boosting profits for coal executives.”

The Center for Biological Diversity issued a press release on Nov. 6, which said, “Following the election of Donald Trump to a second term as president, the Center for Biological Diversity today vowed an all-out effort to protect the climate, wildlife and wild places from Trump’s destructive environmental policies.”

“Trump 2.0 is going to get twice the fight from the protectors of our planet, wildlife and basic human rights,” said Kierán Suckling, executive director of the Center for Biological Diversity. “We’ve battled Trump from the border wall to the Arctic Wildlife Refuge, and in many cases we’ve won. This country’s bedrock environmental laws stand strong. We’re more prepared than ever to block the disastrous Trump policies we know are coming.”

“The Center will resist Trump’s plan to “drill, drill, drill” and his efforts to fulfill promises to the oil industry to reverse dozens of federal measures that protect public lands, imperiled wildlife and human health,” the release said.

Industry representatives in Colorado strongly disagree with these concerns, noting that Colorado’s stringent regulations on the industry adequately protect public health and that oil and gas extraction is necessary to meet the nation’s energy needs.

“Despite Colorado operators producing some of the cleanest molecules of energy in the world under stringent environmental protections, federal permit processing and leasing significantly slowed during the Biden Administration, with only one lease auction held in Colorado,” Dan Haley, president and CEO of the Colorado Oil and Gas Association told The Denver Gazette in a statement.

“As consumers continue facing elevated prices across the economy, we believe policy changes would enable American energy producers to responsibly develop these vital resources in Colorado, helping maintain affordable energy for all. All development, whether on federal or private lands, must comply with Colorado’s robust environmental and permitting regulations. Given our state’s comprehensive safeguards and proven track record of responsible development, supporting oil and natural gas production in Colorado – including on federal lands – represents a clear opportunity to meet our nation’s energy needs while maintaining high environmental standards.”

Kait Schwartz, director of API Colorado, added: “Colorado’s oil and gas industry is proud to operate in a state with some of the nation’s toughest regulatory standards, setting a high bar for responsible energy production. Colorado operators have made substantial strides in reducing emissions while helping to provide reliable, affordable energy for Coloradans. While we look forward to seeing a balanced approach at the federal level, our commitment here in Colorado remains firm. Operators in our state consistently strive to meet these stringent standards and will continue to build on our progress, regardless of the political winds in Washington.”