Current work in wildlife, rivers, public lands, and climate

Denver–With the Colorado Air Quality Control Commission under a July 1, 2020 legal deadline to propose new rules to rein in climate pollution, a growing coalition upped the call this week for regulators to move more quickly and aggressively to confront the climate crisis and meet this deadline.

In a letter to the Air Commission this week, WildEarth Guardians joined over two dozen other organizations collectively representing thousands of Coloradans urging bold climate action.

The groups stated, “it is more important than ever for our state to prioritize ambitious and equitable solutions to climate change.”

The letter comes as the Air Commission meets virtually this week to weigh the adoption of the state’s first-ever greenhouse gas reporting rules and regulations to limit hydrofluorocarbon emissions, or HFCs, which are an extremely potent greenhouse gas.

WildEarth Guardians is participating in this proceeding as a formal party and has called on the Air Commission to not only adopt the proposed rules, but to go further to ensure the fossil fuel industry’s climate footprint is fully reported.

While the proposed rules have garnered widespread support, they have also been broadly panned as an extremely small step in the right direction.

By law, the Air Quality Control Commission is charged with developing rules to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 26% below 2005 levels by 2025, 50% by 2030, and 90% by 2050. The Commission must propose rules to meet these goals by July 1, 2020.

Recent reports have exposed the state is nowhere near being on track to meet these greenhouse gas reductions objectives.

During the Commission’s virtual meeting this week, including a public comment hearing on Wednesday evening, elected officials, policy leaders, and members of the public were virtually unanimous in urging the regulators to do more to meet its basic legal obligations.

WildEarth Guardians has called on the Commission to end fracking, open the door for 100% renewable energy in Colorado, and to strive for full electrification of buildings and transportation.

Colorado Speaker of the House KC Becker, State Representative Emily Sirota, Broomfield City Councilor Laurie Anderson, State Senator Faith Winter, State Senator Mike Foote, and other elected officials all spoke out for effective climate action.

“While we’re calling for bold action, the truth is, we’re not calling on the Colorado Air Commission to do anything more than ensure the state meets its legislated greenhouse gas reduction targets,” said Jeremy Nichols, Climate and Energy Program Director for WildEarth Guardians.  “The clock is ticking and if we’re going to rise to the challenge of confronting the climate crisis, the Air Commission needs to propose much more aggressive regulations that reduce greenhouse gases and help Colorado fully transition from fossil fuels.”