Opinion: To protect Colorado’s ski seasons, adopt aggressive clean car rules - The Denver Post

To protect Colorado's ski seasons, adopt aggressive clean car rules

Hitting the road before dawn, quietly waiting in the cold to nab one of the first chairs up the mountain, all in the hope of capturing that exhilarating sensation that only skiers and snowboarders know — when the stars and snowpack align to deliver a feeling you can’t find anywhere else.

More and more we’re seeing our parking lots include a new type of car, one that will help ensure that this legacy belongs not just to the skiers and snowboarders of today, but also to the next generation.

Skiers and riders are driving from Denver in a number of different types of clean cars and charging up at A-Basin and Aspen. We see everything from higher-end Teslas and Rivian trucks, to plug-in hybrids like Rav 4’s, KIAs and Subarus, and of course, the small (and quite affordable) full-electric models like Chevy Bolts in our parking lots. This shift to electric vehicles is critical for the future as is the Colorado Clean Cars rule currently in front of Colorado’s Air Quality Control Commission.

From our resorts at Aspen Snowmass and Arapahoe Basin, we see firsthand that the worsening effects of the climate crisis are threatening our outdoor economy. Already, winter is changing. Compared to 1980, the number of frost-free days in Aspen has grown by about a month. At A-Basin, record-breaking winter seasons have followed historically dry and snow-free periods.

That’s why our resorts have worked for years to confront the climate crisis that is warming the planet and changing winter. We address the impacts we create on our own properties through waste reduction, renewable energy, and transportation initiatives, among others. But it would be inexcusably naive to think those hyper-localized actions will be enough to protect the snow blanketing ski and snowboard trails across the Rocky Mountains, the continent’s most imposing mountain range.

Engagement outside our ski area boundaries is essential, so we have made it a top priority to advocate for economywide policy changes that encourage innovation to protect our climate. Thankfully, Colorado has been a leader in adopting strong climate policy. Just this year, the state passed a series of new laws, including a pledge to effectively eliminate greenhouse gas emissions in our state by 2050. But there are obstacles to meeting this goal, most notably the state’s leading source of climate pollution–transportation.

That is why it is so crucial for the state to expand and strengthen its existing Clean Cars program by approving new standards that will dramatically boost electric vehicle adoption and reduce pollution over the coming decade.

If approved by the state, the Colorado Clean Cars rule would require some 80% of new vehicle sales in Colorado to be electric models by 2032. This would mark crucial progress toward achieving the state’s climate goals–and, by extension, protecting some of our most treasured resources from the effects of the climate crisis.

The movement to clean vehicles is not isolated to Colorado; it is a national trend gaining traction across the auto industry and on the roads. The car-making giants are investing in the technology and fleet operators and consumers increasingly flocking to electric vehicles.

The Advanced Clean Cars II program will add Colorado-specific tailwinds to those trends. The policy will help steer the supply of electric vehicles to Colorado by making the market for them predictable and guaranteed. And by showing leadership in clean transportation and adopting the strongest clean-cars rule possible, Colorado will position itself as a prime recipient of federal incentives that finance additional charging infrastructure and smarter grids.

Colorado is already among the states with the most electric vehicles on the road, and consumers are slated only to further embrace them. The number of available models is suddenly skyrocketing, and a combination of federal and state incentives have made Colorado the most affordable state to buy one.

Battery technology continues to improve — you can already get from Denver to Aspen on a single charge in many models — and federal and state programs are sparking huge growth in convenient and affordable charging networks across the state’s roads. Private organizations are also quickly adding charging capacity. At A-Basin, where new EV charging stations in the front row of the parking lot – free for A-Basin pass holders – incentivize skiers to take their EV for trips to the mountain, plans are already in the works for expanded charging infrastructure to keep up with guests’ demand.

As the CEOs of international brands and renowned outdoor recreation destinations, we both see climate change as the existential problem that it is. We’re also rabid, lifelong skiers who can’t imagine a life without days spent joyously cavorting with mountains, gravity, and snow.

For all those reasons and more, Colorado must be part of the solution. To meet our climate goals, cement Colorado’s place as a national leader, and protect the outdoor industry that so defines us, Aspen Snowmass and Arapahoe Basin urge Colorado to adopt the strongest possible Clean Cars rule this year.

Alan Henceroth is the chief operating officer of Arapahoe Basin Ski Area and Geoff Buchheister is the chief executive officer of Aspen Skiing Company.

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