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While activists pushing a slate of ballot initiatives targeting Colorado’s energy industry continue to dodge questions about who is bankrolling their efforts, a new report detailing how San Francisco billionaire and environmental activist Tom Steyer is ramping up his political spending in the state raises questions as to whether this “biggest of mega-donors” is  backing the campaign.

The latest attempt to brush off reporters asking questions about the campaign’s financial backers comes in a story featuring Tricia Olson, Executive Director of the group pushing the initiatives for the 2016 ballot, Coloradans Resisting Extreme Energy Development or CREED. As the Colorado Springs Gazette reports:

“Olson said not all of the measures will be taken to the ballot. There’s a long process ahead to set official language, make sure the measures adhere to Colorado rules for initiatives and gathering signatures to put them on the ballot. Olson declined to disclose who was funding the effort.”

Yet even as Olson refuses to disclose her group’s donors, new information shows that Steyer, best known for spending big in Colorado’s 2014 Senate race, is once again targeting the state with political spending that could make its way to CREED’s coffers. Writing for Complete Colorado, EID’s Simon Lomax uncovered recent campaign finance disclosures showing that Steyer’s political operation has been pouring money into a Colorado consulting firm for “research” and “polling” services. Lomax writes:

“According to a review of View Full Article