For more than a year, frustrated Colorado lawmakers and environmental groups have struggled to push the Polis administration to move faster to meet mandated cuts in greenhouse gas emissions. Now they are advancing a bill to set emission caps and deadlines — over the objections of the governor. The Senate Transportation and Energy Committee moved […]
House Bill 1261
Posted inBusiness, Climate, Economy, Energy, Environment, Health, Housing, News, Politics and Government
Colorado is behind on targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions. How far should the state push industry to get there?
The Polis administration is set this month to complete its “roadmap” for cutting Colorado’s greenhouse gas emissions, but critics question whether the route is clear enough — and the milestones realistic enough — to get Colorado where it needs to go. In a nod to some of the challenges, air quality and energy officials are […]
Posted inBusiness, Climate, Energy, Environment, Health, News, Politics and Government
Three coal-burning power plants in Colorado face orders to close early. Their owners aren’t happy about it.
Tri-State, Xcel and Platte River Power had the closures slated for 2030. But Colorado air quality regulators say it must be done earlier to meet greenhouse gas targets. Colorado air quality regulators on Friday moved to order three coal-fired power plants to close by the end of 2028 to cut regional haze and meet Colorado […]
Posted inEnergy, Environment, Health, Politics and Government, Transportation
Is Colorado leading or lagging on climate policy? It depends on which states you’re comparing us to.
States from coast to coast – faced with President Donald Trump’s insistence that climate change is “a hoax” – are taking the lead in creating climate policy and programs, and in this multifaceted exercise Colorado is either a leader or a laggard. On the one hand, the state has adopted some of the most ambitious […]
Posted inBusiness, Energy, Environment, Health, Politics and Government
A guide to how Colorado’s climate-change response compares to California’s and other states
How does a state go about curbing greenhouse gases? There is no one answer just as the sources of the heat trapping gases vary. In Colorado oil and gas operations and coal-fired power plants are major emitters. Not so in Maine where hydropower supplies a big chunk of electricity and the widespread use of home […]
Posted inBusiness, Energy, Environment, Health, News, Politics and Government
Colorado must cut half of its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. It will lean on oil and gas to do it.
Some of the biggest cuts in Colorado’s greenhouse gas emissions will come from the electricity and transportation sectors, but hitting the state’s goal of a 26% reduction in emissions from 2005 levels in the next five years will depend on curbing oil and gas emissions, according to a state analysis. “To meet these goals, we […]
Posted inEnergy, Environment, News, Politics and Government
Drafting rules to reduce Colorado’s greenhouse gas emissions may prove even harder because of missing data
A plan to reduce Colorado’s greenhouse gas emissions will be a device of many moving parts and after a review by an Air Quality Control Commission subcommittee Thursday it looks like those parts are moving slowly, with rules in key areas not in place for another year. The timetables rolled out during the session, carried […]