Energy, Environment, and Climate
Colorado's social and economic mainstays of agriculture, tourism, and wildlife diversity depend on a sustainable, healthy, and clean environment that is protected from environmental threats such as pollution, natural resource depletion, and climate change. Global climate change is an emergency, and it calls us to action for the lives and futures everyone. As a result of persistent droughts, and record-setting temperatures. Urban, suburban, and rural communities alike and throughout our state have suffered millions and billions of dollars in economic losses to infrastructure and property.
Environment, Energy, and Conservation
We demand forward-looking local, state, and federal energy policy that moves America’s dependence away from fossil fuels and preserves clean energy while sustaining and creating jobs, promoting economic growth, and preserving our great outdoors. We recognize that recent geopolitical turmoil, especially around the invasion of Ukraine, has disrupted the energy supply chain globally and resulted in high energy prices. We support the strong leadership of the Biden Administration to navigate us through this painful period requiring adjustments of our near-term energy strategy while not losing our long- term goal for transition to renewables, which among other benefits provide energy security.
Enact policies that maintain the integrity and biodiversity of our ecosystems, and the overall health of our planet. Government and industry projects, including new transportation and other infrastructure projects, must avoid disturbing contaminated soils, polluting air and water, endangering fragile ecosystems, and creating noise pollution that harms humans and animals.
Collaborate to implement an accelerated transition from fossil fuels to renewables. The inevitable energy transition to renewables makes strong economic sense.
Accelerate the development and installation of renewable power-generating infrastructure such as wind and solar and correlate these with the phase out of fossil fuel energy development and usage to minimize disruption.
Accelerate the development of energy efficiency, sustainable energy technologies, and the jobs they create,
nd fund large-scale workforce career training and transition programs that support the workforce transition to new careers.
Implement incentives to encourage the development, manufacture, and construction of renewable energy equipment and facilities in the U.S. and by U.S. workers.
Alternative and Renewable Energy, Conservation, and Efficiency
Every Colorado resident deserves clean air, safe and secure drinking water, public lands, and communities free from the harm of toxic and leaking sites and gases, including active underground coal seam fires. Our water, soils, and air must be monitored for and protected from contamination. Leaders must monitor population growth and urban sprawl and manage pollution, waste, and the extraction and consumption of natural resources while providing for the long-term protection of society and the environment over the interests of short-term needs and profits. Greater emphasis must be given to water conservation and to the recycling and safe and economical reuse of water in agriculture and industry.
Push the U.S. to become a leader in the Paris Climate Accords and in future policies and goals for climate change mitigation, adaptation, and finance.
Accelerate the development and implementation of renewable energy projects and increase their reliability and efficiency.
Prohibit industrial Bitcoin and cryptocurrency mining in Colorado to preserve our energy resources.
Colorado's social and economic mainstays of agriculture, tourism, and wildlife diversity depend on a sustainable, healthy, and clean environment that is protected from environmental threats such as pollution, natural resource depletion, and climate change. Global climate change is an emergency, and it calls us to action for the lives and futures of everyone. As a result of the increasing climate crisis, Colorado has not been immune to devastating wildfires, destructive flooding, stronger storms, persistent droughts, and record-setting temperatures. Urban, suburban, and rural communities alike and throughout our state have suffered millions and billions of dollars in economic losses to infrastructure and property. We demand forward-looking local, state, and federal energy policy that moves America’s dependence away from fossil fuels and preserves clean energy while sustaining and creating jobs, promoting economic growth, and preserving our great outdoors. We recognize that recent geopolitical turmoil, especially around the invasion of Ukraine, has disrupted the energy supply chain globally and resulted in high energy prices. We support the strong leadership of the Biden Administration to navigate us through this painful period requiring adjustments of our near-term energy strategy while not losing our long- term goal for transition to renewables, which among other benefits provide energy security. including fair wages, benefits, workforce development dollars, and placement assistance.
Implement a
4. Oppose the licensing of new coal power plants, demanding transition from coal-produced electricity and instead commercial and residential development and use of power generated by solar, wind, and
sustainably produced hydrogen fuel, and offer incentives.
5. Implement tax credits for the purchase and use of renewable energy systems for residential and commercial zones; advocate for federal renewable tax credits to be extended indefinitely.
6. Implement policies that encourage the U.S. development, manufacturing, and consumer use of pollution-reducing, conservation devices and procedures.
7. Enact legislation requiring all government buildings to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental design certification.
8. Enact legislation to implement passive House-type standards in all dwelling units, such as consideration of building orientation, solar panels, and green roofs to prompt the phase-out of gas in new construction.
9. Implement incentives to encourage the development and use of electric, hybrid, and alternative fuel versions of
all types of vehicles, and establish the phased elimination of emissions and exemptions for all vehicles.
10. Increase the federal Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards that dictate the number of miles per gallon that automakers and dealers should establish for all vehicles they build and sell; egin conversion of government fleets to electric vehicles.
11. Index transportation fuel taxes to inflation to fund transportation infrastructure.
12. Trade negotiations must include carbon emission requirements and regulations which hold the U.S. and our trading partners accountable for carbon emissions and other damages to humans and the environment.
13. Colorado utilities must enhance transparency by publishing their curtailment costs at least once a year regarding actual use of renewable energy investments.
14. Fund the urgent and continual upgrade of the power grid, to handle a variety of energy sources for enhanced efficiency, security, reliability and flexibility.
15. Guarantee that renewable energy produced by consumers can be sold back to the local utility at the same price as energy that is purchased from the local utility.
16. Increase funding for infrastructure that relates to the use of human-powered vehicles, such as bicycles for transportation.
17. Support the inclusion of a transit component in all CDOT congestion-relief transportation projects and support a requirement to address climate change in a meaningful way in CDOT’s planning, construction, operation and maintenance of transportation projects.
18. Support community ownership of energy and local energy investment and provide incentives that encourage Colorado farmers to initiate regenerative agriculture practices as a major impact for CO2 sequestering from the atmosphere and to lower Colorado’s footprint. Incentives should be based on established measurable factors.
19. Prohibit elected officials from accepting fossil-fuel money or trading in such Wall Street-traded utilities.
Energy and Natural Resources
use.
Reduce carbon dioxide emissions with the goal of ultimately reducing carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere.
Increase the state Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS).
Implement Colorado RPS that requires Rural Electric Authorities to purchase renewable energy produced within
Colorado, including that produced by private homeowners.
Implement policies that promote concepts such as community ownership and microgrids.
5. Eliminate petroleum industry exemptions to federal environmental laws.
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1. Promote and protect the ability of the state and local governments to enact stricter "green" initiatives.
2. Weigh public and environmental health and safety when considering the issuance of permits.
3. Enforce the right of counties to ban, regulate, and/or issue moratoria on commercial resource extraction within
their jurisdiction; oppose lawsuits against municipalities and counties that take action to regulate fracking.
4. Repeal the Safe Drinking Water Act exemptions and prohibit deep-water reinjection wells.
Require full decontamination of water from hydro fractured wells such that said water is at minimum safe for agricultural
6. Enforce the divestment of public funds from fossil fuel investments, and the reinvestment of these funds into clean renewable energy.
11. Reassess oil shale leases and delay the lease of any federal lands until environmental concerns have been satisfactorily resolved.
12. Implement strict requirements and comprehensive whole-cost based fees for commercial access to land for mineral, petroleum, forest, and water resources and ban exploitation through extraction.
13. Implement and enforce local ordinances, state legislation, and federal programs that require strict reclamation
bonds and programs to ensure that industry stakeholders are directly liable for all costs to public health, property loss, local business, water use, environmental mitigation, etc. resulting from mining and drilling operations, and assess significant penalties in the event of irreparable damage.
14. Prohibit energy, gas and oil companies from being self-bonded. Collect bonds at the start of the extraction process and cover the entire cost of reclamation.
15. Mandate Colorado severance taxes (tax imposed on nonrenewable resources) equal to the maximum imposed by any state in the nation; repeal the exemption for resources extracted from Colorado lands.
16. Reform or repeal the 1872 Mining Act used by natural resource extraction companies to obtain approval for projects that would otherwise not be approved.
17. Regulate abandoned, existing, and new oil and gas industry operations to minimize and mitigate the adverse effect on Colorado businesses/residents that could be impacted.
18. Prohibit all venting or flaring of gasses associated with coal, oil, and gas production, as it wastes natural resources, contributes to climate change, and is a threat to health and the natural environment; Impose penalties for flaring incidents.
19. Ban mining and drilling in municipal drinking water, watershed, aquifers, storage, recharge areas and superfund sites.
20. Prohibit the use of open pits for fluids contaminated with toxins or produced waters from commercial and industrial operations.
21. Prohibit the development of tar sands oil and the transportation thereof via any means.
22. Require strict adherence to 2500 feet as the minimum safe distance or setback of oil and gas extractive operations from human dwellings, high-occupancy buildings, parks, and water sources.
23. Require the full accounting of all external costs, including but not limited to impacts on public health and safety,
ecological integrity, wildlife health, and quality of other natural resources for future use; the publication thereof,
and all policies, laws, and regulations that recapture the cost of externalities from the responsible operator(s).
24. Enforce requirements for state agencies with regulatory involvement in, or authority over environmental, energy,
or conservation policies to take public in-put, improve public engagement and provide positions on boards and
commissions for members of the public who do not have ties to related industries, resulting in conflicts of interest.
25. Implement a responsible and sustainable logging industry that includes environmental mitigation and reforestation.
26. Implement and enforce trade agreements that hold the states, the U.S., and our trade partners accountable for their carbon emissions.
27. Establish strict limitations on industrial use of fresh water from municipal water supplies for fracking and other dangerous practices.
28. Support sustainable harvesting of water.
Management of Public Lands and Wildlife, Water, Agriculture, and Nuclear Power
Protect the environment and water supplies in Colorado while proactively making adaptations for climate change.
Public Lands and Wildlife
Use science-based management of public lands to proactively address wildfires, and facilitate optimal balance between human use and the natural world while adapting to climate change.
Support the statewide reintroduction and management of gray wolves .
Assess return to Colorado native tribes for previous takings of life, liberty and land.
Stop all wild free-roaming horse and burro roundups permanently and manage the horses and burros in the wild through the American Wild Horse Campaign.
Implement measures to reduce the production and consumption of petroleum-based plastics for single use applications; implement measures that promote biodegradable plastics for durable long-term use.
End the exploitation of public lands for private economic gain.
Require fair market-based payments for leased areas and fully fund the National Park Service and the Endangered Species Act.
Develop public/private partnerships to conserve and expand the acquisition of open space lands including roadless areas and wildlands.
Water Rights
1. Develop a statewide water resource plan to balance protection of water resources and enforcement of water conservation measures with environmental and ecological needs in relation to human needs.
2. Prioritize water quality and supply in long-range planning, to include the restriction of new developments for which there would be inadequate permanent water sources and f
2approval of new trans-basin diversions.
Facilitate public comment/review prior to
3. Require inspection, maintenance, and repair of existing dams. Budget for continual replacement.
4. ll disclosure by private and public governing entities of all chemicals discharged, injected into the ground, or maintained on the surface.
Agricultural Policy and Land Management
Implement and enforce policies that support small family farms.
via sustainable practices.
Protect from market rates for commodities.
Secure and stabilize new markets and help new farmers through a variety of programs and services.
Enable an independent and sustainable pathway for farmers indebted to corporations.
Allow Increase economic incentives and support public and private investment in research and development of new sustainable agricultural practices and technologies regenerative and sustainable farms.
Examine agricultural runoff practices that contaminate water sources and non-agricultural soils. Develop protocols for best practices in collaboration with farmers.
Support the development of an industrial hemp industry with agricultural subsidy eligibility.
Mandate 24-hour posting/alerts of intended pesticide application at all public and commercial buildings in Colorado.
Provide appropriate supervision and regulation of 21st century mining on federal lands, including preventive and safety measures, environmental restoration, and reimbursement for federal oversight costs.
Nuclear Power
1. Nuclear power is not “green” energy—it produces radioactive nuclear waste, to which there is no safe storage and disposal solution, and other externalized costs. No new nuclear power reactors until there is an actual solution to these problems.