Colorado Sierra Club
Following an action-packed 2024 legislative session, Colorado Sierra Club is excited to share important wins that protect Colorado' environment, reduce toxic air pollution and climate emissions, and forge pathways for even stronger legislation in future years. Thanks to participation from our amazing volunteer teams and dedicated staff, we are making Colorado one of the most progressive states in the nation for protecting our environment.
But obstacles still stand in our way. The oil and gas industry is leveraging its endless pools of money to counteract and stall progress. And even our Governor, despite his words, has failed in many ways to meaningfully protect communities and reduce pollution.
So without further ado, let's look at the highlights and challenges from the 2024 legislature.
Roses
- Cutting Gas Pollution and Promoting Affordability: HB24-1370 passed and was signed into law! This legislation will reduce greenhouse gas emissions in buildings by providing neighborhood-scale alternative projects that can shut down gas systems, avoid investing in more costly fossil gas infrastructure, and improve indoor health for families and businesses. These alternative projects prioritize cost-effectiveness for consumers, include strong vetting processes, and, most importantly, allow for community input and education.
- Reinstating Water Protections: Last year the U.S. Supreme Court gutted the Clean Water Act by removing protections for ephemeral waterways and taking an anti-science approach to what constitutes a "nexus" of connected waters. HB24-1379 helps restore water protections and, if implemented and enforced adequately, will be a huge step towards protecting water in Colorado.
- Addressing Oil & Gas Pollution: Orphaned wells leak the incredibly powerful greenhouse gas methane and Colorado is home to hundreds of them. SB24-229 provides better tools to state agencies to enforce regulations and increase transparency with a goal of reducing ozone precursors 50 percent by 2030 from 2007 levels. Importantly, that includes more protections for disproportionately impacted communities. Another bill, SB24-230 creates new fees for oil and gas operators that will help fund local transit and land conservation efforts.
- Improving Access to Community Solar in Colorado: Solar energy is a critical piece of the transition to renewable energy and SB24-207 will improve affordability and uptake of community solar for Coloradans. With this new law, the state will also be eligible for millions of federal dollars to help increase solar across the state.
Buds
- A commitment to revisit affordable, efficient home heating and cooling: We supported HB24-1352 that would have required distributors to sell low-cost, energy saving heat pumps rather than outdated expensive air conditioning units. While this bill failed to move forward, we were able to add amendments to another signed bill, SB24-214 which requires the Colorado Energy Office to complete a study on the costs and benefits of transitioning to selling only heat pumps and we look forward to bringing back the original bill in the next legislative session.
- A study to build momentum towards more renewable energy siting: We know we need more renewable energy, but not everyone is on board with how and where it is sited. SB24-212 requires Colorado agencies to complete a model that can be used by local governments and Tribes to help determine where to site solar taking cultural and natural resources into account.
Thorns
- Corporate misinformation campaigns: This year major fossil fuel corporations poured millions of dollars into misleading advertisements attacking a number of bills aimed at improving Colorado's severe ozone problem. Meanwhile, the oil and gas industry proposed a number of ballot measures to erase environmental progress in the state. Eventually, a deal was brokered where environmental groups were forced to give up some of their ozone bills in exchange for the industry dropping ballot measures. Gov. Polis played a role in the negotiations and missed an opportunity to stand up to big business.
- Gov. Polis undermines wins and workers: Speaking of the Governor, he vetoed a number of important bills to the dismay of Colorado workers and environmental groups. HB24-1307 would have provided federal funding to schools to provide better HVAC equipment to improve air quality and efficiency while ensuring qualified contractors were put to work. Shockingly, Gov. Polis sided with special interest groups and the fossil fuel industry over workers and children alike. Also alarming, was his veto of a bill HB24-1008 meant to prevent wage theft in Colorado. Wage theft is a massive issue driving income inequality and worsening the impacts of inflation across the nation. Sierra Club stands with workers rights to earn a fair living as they help drive the transition to a clean energy economy.
We sincerely thank everyone who volunteered, especially our volunteer Legislative Committee, which helped prevent bad bills from passing and helped see through huge wins. Our testimony makes a difference and we're already looking forward to next year's buds. In the meantime, we'll keep using every avenue we can to fight oil and gas pollution and protect Colorado's natural places. We hope you can get outside and enjoy some wild flowers!
Colorado Sierra Club