Colorado must balance climate goals, affordability
Colorado faces a critical moment as we work to address both climate change and fundamental affordability issues. A recent report released by Common Sense Institute of Colorado provides interesting insights by quantifying the economic impact of the state’s environmental policies. This important research illuminates how our state’s climate policies affect Colorado’s economy and the real-world impacts on working families and fixed-income Coloradans struggling to meet basic needs.
As the CEO of Energy Outreach Colorado, I have spent years speaking directly with families facing impossible choices. I remember clearly a divorced older woman on a fixed income in rural Western Colorado who kept her home at 55 degrees during the winter, bundling up in coats and blankets indoors because choosing between adequate heat and food was not really a choice at all. Our mission is to create affordable energy solutions for all Coloradans and these personal stories inform everything we do. From this vantage point, I can affirm that both climate action and basic affordability are essential, and we must pursue balanced policies that achieve both.
The CSI report notes that environmental policies have cost Colorado’s economy $32 billion since 2009. This research underscores an important reality: transitions come with costs. The question is not whether there are costs, but rather: Who bears them? Who benefits? And are we creating policies that distribute both fairly?
The stakes could not be higher for hardworking Colorado families living on tight budgets. Energy Outreach Colorado’s independent research shows Colorado ranks 8th nationally for energy insecurity, with nearly one-third of households struggling with energy bills. Data shows that low-income families spend up to six times more of their income on energy than higher-income households, with those with the lowest incomes spending 12% just on utilities. For these families, a $50 increase in monthly bills isn’t merely inconvenient, it forces impossible choices between heating, medication, food, or rent.
I think back to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Before we can expect families to prioritize environmental concerns, they must first secure basic necessities: food, shelter, warmth, and safety. I understand the challenges of single parents juggling multiple jobs while raising children alone. They care deeply about their children’s future and the planet they will inherit, but the immediate concern is keeping the lights on, the apartment warm, and food on the table tonight.
Yet the answer is not to abandon our climate goals. Climate change itself poses disproportionate risks to communities already facing hardship. From increased air pollution to extreme weather events, those with the fewest resources often face the greatest climate impacts.
As we continue this journey, we must ensure that clean energy doesn’t come at the expense of basic affordability and reliability. The Common Sense Institute’s findings highlight that a transition that forces families to choose between environmental compliance and putting food on the table isn’t just inequitable, it is unsustainable politically and practically.
We need a world where every Coloradan can have clean air and enough food, reliable energy and affordable bills, climate progress and basic economic security.
I urge policymakers to act without regard to political party and design inclusive approaches that provide adequate resources and reasonable timelines for our transition to cleaner energy.
By addressing both climate and affordability together, rather than treating them as competing priorities, we can create sustainable solutions that work for all Coloradans.
Jennifer Gremmert is the CEO of Energy Outreach Colorado, a statewide nonprofit dedicated to creating affordable energy solutions for all Coloradans.
Jennifer Gremmert is the CEO of Energy Outreach Colorado, a statewide nonprofit dedicated to creating affordable energy solutions for all Coloradans.