Government Energy Policy, Business and Technology

What will it take to reach the climate change goals set by Gov. Hickenlooper?

The Colorado Independent: Words of praise flowed from environmental groups last week after Gov. John Hickenlooper signed an executive order calling for Colorado to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 26 percent. This reduction, as compared to 2005 levels, must be achieved by 2025.

The executive order aligns Colorado with 13 other states in the new Climate Alliance that have pledged to honor Paris climate agreement goals, bucking President Donald Trump’s announced exit.

Hickenlooper said many of the right things when announcing his order “supporting Colorado’s clean energy transition” at Red Rocks last week. He talked about past successes that have improved the environmental economy while accommodating and even enhancing economic growth. He said the state must switch more electrical generation from coal to renewables. He called for a plan by January to ramp up the charging infrastructure for electric vehicles, using at least a portion of Colorado’s $68 million share of the $15 billion Volkswagen must pay for cheating on its diesel emissions.

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