National ban-fracking activist organizations have canceled their plan to stage a protest at a Hillary Clinton fundraiser in Denver due to a lack of “people power.” After several posts on their Facebook page rallying the troops, they were only able to get 2 protesters to commit, so they posted this just before the event was to take place:

This news comes as billionaire anti-fossil fuel activist Tom Steyer’s super PAC, NextGen Climate Action said it is withholding an endorsement of Colorado Senator Michael Bennet over his support of the Keystone XL pipeline. Politico reports:

“Steyer’s well-funded super PAC, NextGen Climate Action, won’t back Senate candidates who supported the controversial pipeline, unless they have a public change of heart, the group told POLITICO.”

Politico goes on:

“The Keystone litmus test suggests that Steyer’s group won’t support candidates like Sen. Michael Bennet, a former Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee chairman who is running for reelection in Colorado.”

The San Francisco billionaire who is best known in Colorado for spending an “estimated $8.5 million” on the failed campaign of former Senator Mark Udall, has been dramatically ramping up his political spending in the state and even forging close ties with environmental groups like Conservation Colorado. And this latest news only raises more questions about where he is directing his political spending in the state.

350.org and Food & Water Watch were the groups that attempted to put on the rally as part of their effort to “increase pressure” on Clinton and Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaigns in recent weeks to adopt their extreme anti-energy development agenda.

The issue carries particular weight in Colorado where activist groups are targeting oil and gas development with a series of initiatives, which if successful, would appear alongside the presidential candidates on the 2016 ballot. But their efforts have been failing to build momentum in recent days with sharp criticism coming from Gov. John Hickenlooper and his predecessor Bill Ritter Jr. who was called the “greenest governor” in the nation. This week, they also saw Colorado’s Democrat-controlled State House reject a proposal to increase ‘local control’ over oil and gas development, a signature issue for the groups.

The national organizations are thought to be part of a large network of activists backed by controversial foundations such as the Rockefeller Family Fund, a group that was recently exposed for pouring millions of dollars into “media” organizations like InsideClimate News (ICN) and projects at Columbia University School of Journalism to produce hit pieces on the fossil fuel industry. Others are speculating that controversial billionaire activist Tom Steyer is supporting the closely related “Keep it In The ground” movement.

Colorado has been besieged by national activist organizations who have called the state “ground zero” in their campaign to ban fracking nationwide. While these groups are adept at creating a spectacle, the fact remains that no matter how loudly they protest, a growing chorus of prominent Colorado leaders like Bill Ritter, Governor Hickenlooper, business leaders, editorial boards and elected officials are speaking out against the charade that is their extreme agenda to ban energy development. The only question left is what exactly does Tom Steyer have planned for Colorado?