Despite Interior Secretary Ken Salazar’s resistance, energy companies continue to pursue plans to squeeze oil from shale stone in Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah–a plan that, if successful, would reap more petroleum than provided by all the world’s known reserves, according to The New York Times, which points out that the touchy part of the plan is its expense and negative impact on the environment.

But the industry is pushing against regulation. In Colorado, state lawmakers last week passed “landmark” regulations for oil-and-gas drilling amid protests from the industry (via The Associated Press). The new rules, passed on a party-line vote and signed by Democratic Governor Bill Ritter, are designed to protect public health and wildlife.

Oil-and-gas companies are going over the new rules, according to the Durango Herald, while KUNC radio takes a closer look at politics and oil-and-gas interests in Colorado.