Governor calls for all voices in campaign to achieve sustainability

LOVELAND — For Gov. Jared Polis, climate action is not a zero-sum game. Without aggressive measures from municipal to federal governments, everyone loses.

“We need everyone’s ideas. We need everybody’s voice,” Polis said. “Together we can protect our way of life and support our economic growth, so that we can be the one that markets many of these climate solutions across our country and across the world, have a better environment here at home and a better economy for ourselves and the future.”

Polis spoke at BizWest’s Net Zero Cities conference on Thursday at The Ranch. He said that tackling climate change goes beyond Colorado borders.

“There’s a lot of work we need to do more sustainably, whether it’s recycling and reuse, whether it’s climate or water, whether it is the local governments, the state, the federal government or the world,” Polis said. “We all need to step up and be leaders.”

The campaign that led him to become governor of Colorado in 2018 ran partly on his roadmap to make Colorado 100 percent powered by renewable energy by 2040. 

The governor’s roadmap involves modernizing the Public Utilities Commission by appointing pro-consumer and pro-renewable energy members, moving toward zero emission buildings and creating green jobs.

In January 2019, Polis’ first executive order supported a transition toward electric vehicles. The order required the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to establish a Colorado Zero Emission Vehicle Program under the Clean Air Act.

The adoption of electric vehicles will result in quieter streets, better air quality and working toward reducing Colorado’s carbon output, Polis said. The $68.7 million the state will receive in the Volkswagen emissions scandal settlement will be invested into energy efficient transit, such as a state-wide electric car charging infrastructure to encourage consumers to make the switch.

The state worked with the Department of Local Affairs last year to create the Renewable/Clean Energy Challenge grant program that incentivizes the 100 percent renewable by 2040 goal. Municipalities, counties, school districts, special districts and other political subdivisions are eligible to receive grants for implementation projects. Funded projects should be large in scale, serve those with the greatest need and sustain long-term progress, among other things. 

The DOLA matched state funds with $12 million. Final funding decisions will be made this month.

Polis said there are 14 cities in the state that have more ambitious climate action plans than his. Rather than planning to achieve 100 percent renewable energy by 2040, these cities want to meet the mark between 2030 and 2035.The communities include Boulder and Fort Collins. Aspen and Glenwood Springs are already fully powered by renewable energy.

“Typically we think about the local government’s role as filling potholes, locking up bad guys, you know, putting out fires,” said Jonathan Koehn, environmental affairs manager for the city of Boulder. He said that Boulder’s government recognizes that its role has to adopt climate action plans into its portfolio.

The city plans to double the amount of bus services available in the next 20 years, building electric car charging stations and making bikes available to the public. City building codes are being reworked to force or encourage all Boulder buildings to become net-zero compliant by 2030. 

Fort Collins also has a climate plan in action. In 2015, the Fort Collins City Council voted to implement a climate action plan that aims to reduce emissions 80 percent by 2030 and a 100 percent by 2050, said Mayor Wade Troxell. He added that most recently, the city agreed to have 100 percent renewable electricity by 2030 in partnership with Platte River Power Authority, the wholesale electric supplier for Fort Collins, Loveland, Estes Park and Longmont.

Polis said there are approximately 63,000 residents in the state employed in renewable energy, a 9 percent increase over the year before.

He noted that while there’s momentum in the utility sector, other industries will need to follow suit if the state is to meet the state’s roadmap.

Darla Arians, chairwoman of the Advisory Committee on Environmental Sustainability for the city of Broomfield, said that community’s zero-waste plan aims to be 50 percent waste-free by 2025 and achieve zero-waste status by 2035.

The city boasts past efforts that include a 2017 water agreement to preserve Malchow family farm and its associated water, saving it from “buy and dry” practices. 

Broomfield currently has 43 electrical accounts that subscribe to Xcel Energy’s renewable connect program that provides renewable energy credits directly to Broomfield. 

Lori Hodges, director of Office of Emergency Management for Larimer County said that six departments are collecting action recommendations that will be presented to the board of county commissioners in April. Larimer County plans to create a new compost facility at its landfill. She said that 30 percent of the current landfill waste can be reused.

Boulder County Commissioner Deb Gardner said that Clean Energy Action, EnergySmart​​​​​​​ and Partners for a Clean Environment have been key to helping individuals and businesses in Boulder County adopt clean energy. She said that 19,000 homes and 3,100 businesses have worked with these three programs.

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