State officials begin gathering feedback for climate plan update with community workshops - Greeley Tribune

State officials begin gathering feedback for climate plan update with community workshops - Greeley Tribune

Colorado’s climate efforts to reduce greenhouse gas pollution by 90% by 2050 — a goal set by state lawmakers in 2019 — have spurred action at the Capitol and across state agencies over the past couple of years.

About two and a half years after the state adopted its Greenhouse Gas Pollution Reduction Roadmap to achieve this goal, officials have implemented or started to implement more than 90% of the actions identified in the roadmap. This week, state officials kicked off a series of community workshops across the state to develop a second version of the roadmap, identifying new actions the state may take to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Representatives from the Keystone Policy Center, which is facilitating the feedback sessions, the Colorado Energy Office, the Colorado Department of Transportation, the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, the Colorado Department of Agriculture and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment were among the state officials at the first workshop, hosted Thursday at the LINC Library in downtown Greeley.

In 2019, state lawmakers passed the Climate Action Plan, identifying greenhouse gas pollution reduction goals of 26% by 2025, 50% by 2030 and 90% by 2050 from 2005 levels. At the time of the first roadmap’s release, the state was already on track to achieve half of the reductions needed to meet the 2025 and 2030 targets.

Lawmakers set the climate goals to improve air quality and reduce the adverse effects of climate change across the state, including declining snowpack, prolonged drought, extreme heat, elevated wildfire risk and decreased economic activity from outdoor recreation and agriculture.

Before getting input from residents who attended Thursday’s workshop, state officials from various departments shared “Near-Term Actions” they’re considering for the updated roadmap.

For the transportation sector, which is the biggest driver of greenhouse gas pollution in the state with 21% of emissions, CDOT’s Office of Innovative Mobility Chief Kay Kelly identified expanded investments in safe bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure on major corridors as one of several possible actions to reduce emissions. Others included expanded transit service, strategies to lower pollution and congestion caused by truck and delivery traffic in cities and land use policies to support housing closer to jobs, services and transit.

Electricity production is the second-largest source of greenhouse gas emissions, at 19%. State utilities have already announced binding plans to reduce emissions, including Xcel Energy’s plan to achieve a reduction of about 85% by 2030 and retire all coal generation by 2031.

Dominique Gómez, deputy director of the Colorado Energy Office, said the state is considering transmission needs as it transitions to renewable electricity, including using the side of state highways for transmission and possible broadband expansion.

Oil and gas ties with industrial production for the third-largest source of emissions, with each responsible for about 18% of greenhouse gases produced in Colorado. Angela Boag, assistant director for climate, forest health and energy in the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, noted the state’s possible actions for oil and gas include strategies to further reduce ozone-causing pollution, new rules to limit the cumulative impacts of multiple oil and gas sites located near each other, expanding regulation of large industrial emitters, advancing hydrogen as well as carbon capture use and storage, and requiring more emissions monitoring by the industry.

Agriculture accounts for a tenth of greenhouse gas emissions in the state. Kristen Boysen, drought and climate specialist for the Colorado Department of Agriculture, listed possible actions including support renewable energy and methane capture projects that can co-exist on working ag lands, protecting and restoring wetlands and riparian areas, extending tax incentives for the use of beetle-killed wood, improving soil health and managing farms, ranches and forests to protect from natural disasters, support local economies, capture carbon and improve wildlife habitat. Boysen noted soil, plants and restored wetlands and riparian areas can all help capture carbon to help reduce greenhouse gases in the state.

The final two major sources of emissions identified by the state include buildings, also responsible for 10% of emissions, and waste, which creates 4% of total emissions. Gómez said the state is considering a comprehensive electrification plan for buildings, similar to the state’s electric vehicles plan, as well as aligning state investments such as loan funds and tax incentives with climate goals, investigating incentives to reduce food waste and pushing producer responsibility for things like packaging.

Progress since roadmap’s 2021 release

State officials on Thursday explained the state is still evaluating how effective the first version of the roadmap has been. A December 2022 report from agencies involved in the plan, however, lists several actions already taken to implement the first roadmap:

- State utilities have committed to an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030;
- The Colorado Energy Office began developing a geothermal energy grant program as part of initiatives to jump-start the development of geothermal energy generation;
- The state’s ozone season transit grant program to cover transit agencies’ costs to provide free rides increased ridership for participating agencies, including Greeley-Evans Transit, which is participating again this year;
- CDOT has planned to expand Bustang services across the state, including the Pegasus bus service on weekends and holidays in the mountain express lanes of the Interstate 70 corridor.;
- CDOT and the Energy Office have focused on consumer education on electric vehicles as the state continues funding EV charging and incentives for the adoption of zero-emission vehicles;
- As part of funding through the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the state will invest $57 million to construct EV charging stations along major roads and highways;
- The Environmental Justice Action Task Force submitted its final report of recommendations, including conducting environmental equity analyses, creating a definition of disproportionately impacted communities, how to use data to address disparities and best practices for community engagement;
- The Air Quality Control Commission in November adopted a rule for recovered methane protocols and a recovered methane crediting and tracking system.

What’s next?

As participants in Thursday’s workshop broke out into groups to discuss the top sources of emissions in greater detail, one of the state’s challenges in implementing the climate plan became evident: while some feel the state must take more swift action, people also have concerns about potential disruptions to their everyday lives and the economy.

Dan Joseph, environmental health director for Weld County, said the state introduces new rules for oil and gas every year without stopping to assess what the impact is from other recent rules. John Kolanz, a Greeley attorney who works for industry interests in environmental matters, echoed Joseph’s concern, noting the industry is also subject to regulations from an ozone standpoint in addition to the greenhouse gas reduction plans.

“This roadmap and the transition that it portends is incredibly important to this area of the state, Weld and Greeley in particular,” he said. “And I do think that there’s a lot of potential for this area to continue to thrive if this is all done in a way that allows that to happen. I think the northern Colorado region can continue to be an energy hub for Colorado and the entire region under a new energy future.”

State Rep. Gabe Evans, who represents west Greeley, western parts of Weld County and part of Adams County, this year introduced a bill that would have prohibited rule-making for the same subject matter as an existing rule for three years after the existing rule’s adoption. Evans said he’s heard testimony from various industries about the difficulty of keeping up with the state’s changing regulatory landscape. The bill was killed in the House Committee on State, Civic, Military and Veterans Affairs.

Evans, a Republican, said the regulatory onslaught isn’t likely to slow down until there is more balance at the Capitol, where he said the Democrats’ majority seemed to fuel more action without taking the time to understand the impacts better.

Others discussing oil and gas at the workshop agreed it’s important for the state to ensure the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions involves a smooth transition so as not to negatively impact the economy, but they also expressed some frustration with the state not following through on previous climate commitments.

Aaron Zimola, a Greeley resident and board member of Good Business Colorado, questioned why oil and gas jobs aren’t included in the Office of Just Transition’s work to support communities and workers transitioning away from coal as an energy source. State officials explained the office began with a narrow scope but said it is likely to broaden that scope as it accomplishes what it first set out to do.

Zimola, while expressing concerns about how the state’s climate work may affect oil and gas, water and agriculture industries that are a cornerstone of Weld County’s economy, also said top state officials, including Gov. Jared Polis and state lawmakers, appear hesitant to follow through on the needed rule-making to accomplish the state’s climate goals.

Scott Simmons, a Windsor resident and northern Colorado chapter leader for Climate Reality Project, also suggested the state seemed to be dragging its feet in some efforts. He said the state’s consideration of the cumulative impacts of oil and gas production should have already been implemented with prior legislation. Simmons, supporting efforts to phase out fracking, said the state must also consider how such a ban could affect the tax base and jobs in Weld County.

State officials indicated the agencies involved in the roadmap have been working together closely to understand the economic impacts of every regulation the state brings forward, including the impacts on jobs, household costs and energy burdens. The state is also developing a statewide climate webpage, where residents can track all the state’s climate efforts, including funding opportunities for businesses and residents such as rebates provided through climate programs.

Other groups on Thursday discussed water quality matters, including the use of potable water for oil and gas and fracking, incentives for water conservation in municipalities, agriculture and industry, Indigenous land stewardship and a desire for public transportation options.

The state has more community workshops scheduled across the state through June. Officials plan to engage the public this year and conduct an analysis before releasing the updated version next year.

Officials hope to return to Greeley in the fall with more information about the impacts of the first roadmap and with feedback acquired throughout the summer. In addition to the community workshops, the state will conduct meetings with local governments and advocacy organizations, in addition to sector-specific roundtables, to gather feedback for the updated roundtable.

For more information about the roadmap and update efforts, including a schedule of workshops, go to energyoffice.colorado.gov and click on “GHG Pollution Reduction Roadmap” under the “Climate & Energy” drop-down menu.