House Votes for Climate Action

Environment Colorado

Denver – Today the Colorado House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Energy voted to move forward common sense climate action by blocking attacks on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan – a proposal to protect future generations from the worst impacts of global warming.

The Clean Power Plan would establish the first federal limit on global warming pollution from power plants, which are the source of over 40% of Colorado’s global warming emissions. Under the law, the EPA will set a standard for carbon pollution, and Colorado must then develop a plan to meet the standards, using a range of tools including energy efficiency, wind and solar power, switching to lower-carbon fuels, or other measures.

“Not surprisingly, the biggest global warming polluters are trying to stop the Clean Power Plan dead in its tracks,” said Kim Stevens, Director of Environment Colorado. “We applaud our legislators who sided with our children and future generations today, instead of the big polluters.”

By a vote of 7 to 6 for both bills, the House Transportation and Energy committee blocked SB157 and SB61. These bills would stall the planning stages of the Clean Power Plan until the Supreme Court’s stay is lifted, and requires an additional process to implement carbon reductions, respectively. Both bills were polluter driven attempts to block the Clean Power Plan.

“Coloradans support climate action and cleaner air, and that’s why they support carbon pollution limits on power plants by wide margins,” said Stevens. “Legislators who voted to block these carbon reductions are out of step with the majority of Coloradans.”

Advancing solutions to global warming is urgent and important. Without action, the impacts of global warming could become far worse. But if policymakers take action now to promote solutions to global warming, there is still time to prevent the worst impacts of climate change. 

“The Clean Power Plan is the biggest action the U.S. has ever taken on climate, and it is already helping us lead the world toward a strong international agreement to slash greenhouse gas emissions,” said Stevens.  “Rather than try to take us backwards, we need more politicians to propel us forward on the course charted by the Clean Power Plan, one which ends with deep cuts in pollution and 100 percent clean, renewable energy.”
 

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Environment Colorado is a statewide, citizen-based environmental advocacy organization working for clean air, clean water, and open space. For more information, visit www.environmentcolorado.org