DENVER | Colorado’s Democratic governor on Tuesday added his state to a dozen others endorsing the Paris global accord on climate change even as President Donald Trump withdraws the nation from the agreement.
Gov. John Hickenlooper said the state would also set a goal of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by one-fourth while keeping energy affordable or even cutting the cost. Cheap natural gas and the declining cost of wind and solar power make that possible, he said.
He promised other steps to move Colorado toward producing and consuming more renewable energy and less from fossil fuels, saying economics were already moving the state that way.
“These are market forces. This is not government imposing a regime,” Hickenlooper said.
Colorado would join the U.S. Climate Alliance, a coalition of states and territories supporting the Paris Accord aimed at slowing down global warming, Hickenlooper said. The others are California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Washington.
Trump said last month he would pull the U.S. out of the Paris agreement, calling it a “reassertion of America’s sovereignty.”
Hickenlooper signed an executive order setting a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions statewide by 26 percent by 2025, compared with 2005 levels. The order sets a more specific goal of reducing carbon dioxide from electricity generation by 25 percent by 2025 and 35 percent by 2030 compared with 2012 levels.
The goals also include installing more charging stations for electric vehicles, providing more assistance to mining towns hurt by the decline in coal and using state-owned buildings to showcase energy efficiency.
Hickenlooper acknowledged that at least some Republicans would oppose his plan. But he challenged them to say whether they opposed clean air or cheaper energy.
Renewable energy promises good jobs for at least the next two generations, he said. “This is what’s going to attract Republicans,” Hickenlooper said.
Sean Paige, a spokesman for majority Republicans in the state Senate, said the lawmakers were preparing a response.
The Colorado Mining Association, which represents the state’s coal industry, called the goals overly aggressive and questioned whether they could be accomplished without adding to consumers’ costs.
The association “is very concerned the governor explicitly stated there would be less coal used in Colorado,” said the group’s president, Stan Dempsey Jr.
Hickenlooper considered a similar executive order last year that would have set the identical goal for reducing carbon dioxide emissions from power generators, but he dropped it in the face of GOP opposition.
Aurora officials respond
State Senator Rhonda Fields
District 29 Senator Rhonda Fields said she was proud to hear Gov. Hickenlooper lent his voice and endorsed the Paris global accord and climate change. She said she was happy that elected officials are “stepping up” and agreeing to focus on clean air and clean energy. She also said that she would sign any agreement, if the governor asked the senate for ratification.
“It’s a voluntary agreement, she said. “I don’t understand why we would back out. It is troublesome and baffling.”
State Rep. Dominique Jackson
District 41 Rep. Dominique Jackson is a Democratic legislator that sits on the House committees for health, environment and transportation energy. Jackson said for her this means a lot and she supports the governor 100 percent and that she would agree if Hickenlooper asked the House for some sort of ratification .
“Colorado has always been a leader when it comes to forward-thinking policies,” she said. “Promoting clean energy benefits clean water and clean air and helps to protect the environment and creating more clean energy jobs.”
State Rep. Jovan Melton
Democrat District 41 Rep. Jovan Melton said he is proud to see Gov. Hickenlooper support the agreement and really stand up against the current administration. He also said, he was glad that Colorado is really thinking globally.
“I definitely support the effort of moving in the right direction,” he said.
He also agreed that he would support Gov. Hickenlooper if he called on the House for any support.
State Rep. Dafna Michaelson-Jenet
Democrat District 30 Rep. Dafna Michaelson-Jenet said, she believes strongly in climate change and that this give Colorado the capacity to be a leader in setting an environmental standard. She said this can also help the state thrive in business from clean energy jobs and sets standards to be on the leading edge of that market and environmental care.
“I wholeheartedly support the governor and the state is supporting environmental wellness,” she said.
State Sen. Kevin Priola
“This is a big decision for the state of Colorado that will need to be debated and studied,” he said.
Priola, a Republican, said he worries that making this decision too fast might implode the local economy. He will be open to discussions and studying the ramifications. He said he likes to lead by example by recycling and using solar panels but that the solar panels on his house are only a few years old, will be outdated soon. He wants to weigh the options and make sure he is answering the bigger questions like, if this could be creating short term distortion with the local markets. He also said he did believe that today’s problems can be solved by tomorrow’s technology but he isn’t sure today’s technology is ready, comparing current technology to the first failed attempt of building the Panama Canal in the late 1800’s.
“It failed because they didn’t have the right technology at the time,” he said. “Those are the mistakes I don’t want Colorado to replicate.”
State Senator Nancy Todd
Democrat Senator Nancy Todd said she stands strong with the governor in setting a standard for Colorado to protect the environment. She said she is happy the state is standing firm and not letting an administration decide the standards of Colorado. She said will support the governor in any help he asks from the senate.
— State legislators Cole Wist, Jack Tate, Kevin Priola and Daniel Kagen have not yet responded to requests for comment.
Aurora Sentinel reporter Cassie Ballard contributed to this story.