Outgoing official makes bold move to push through controversial legislation: 'There's no room for discussion'
Outgoing Colorado Governor Jared Polis is pushing a major energy bill to enshrine his ambitious plan to meet the state's climate target of 100% clean energy a decade early.
Polis is term-limited and will not run for re-election in 2026 but seeks to leave office with his climate goal enshrined into law.
According to CPR News, the timing of the bill, late into Colorado's 120-day legislative session that began in January, has caused some pushback from business leaders.
Sarah Blackhurst, president of Action 22, a local organization that represents 22 counties in southern Colorado, told the publication: "There's no room for discussion. There's no room for stakeholdering. This would be … devastating to the state."
Those concerns aren't shared by environmental groups, who are demanding bold action to push the Centennial State on the path toward net-zero pollution by 2040.
Colorado's existing plan calls for a 50% reduction by 2030, 90% by 2040, and 100% by 2050. The updated legislation will move that timeline forward by 10 years. The revised proposal will give utility companies 15 years to move to net-zero harmful pollution while keeping rates affordable for residents.
The governor has modified his often acrimonious relationship with oil and gas interests in the state. Last year, a compromise was worked out between the dirty fuel industry and environmental groups to avert a "costly, divisive" ballot measure for a few years, as the Colorado Sun detailed.
The latest drive to enshrine climate targets into law in Colorado is just one of several key environmental bills being hashed out in state legislatures nationwide. It serves as an important reminder that some of the most consequential political action to protect the environment starts at the local level.
Colorado's main problem in reaching its goals isn't actually electricity, which is more or less on target, but transport. Cars will prevent Colorado from reaching its 2025 target. Colorado is actually one of the lesser car-dependent states in the union (ranked 40th), but a lack of public transportation options will make reaching future goals challenging.
A spokesperson for the governor's office, Shelby Weiman, explained the updated energy bill was "just the beginning" of talks and expressed hope that "Colorado can continue leading the nation on reliability, cost savings on electricity and climate action."
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