Colorado falls short of emissions target in updated climate plan

By Adam Aton | 02/27/2024 06:26 AM EST

The road map — which would open more state land to renewable projects and ease permitting — is “ambitious but achievable,” said Gov. Jared Polis.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis speaks in Pueblo, Colorado, on Nov. 29, 2023.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) speaks in Pueblo, Colorado, on Nov. 29, 2023. Jack Dempsey/AP

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis released an updated climate plan Monday that acknowledges the state could miss its 2030 goal to halve planet-warming emissions.

The second-term Democratic governor, who has clashed with progressives over how heavily to regulate polluting businesses, said almost all the policies from his 2021 climate road map are already underway. Polis said the new plan for his remaining three years in office — nicknamed Roadmap 2.0 — is “ambitious but achievable.”
clashed with progressives

The 49 actions outlined in the new plan include initiatives Polis can take on his own, such as opening more state land to renewable energy projects and transmission lines. Other actions, like making it easier to permit renewable energy projects, would require action from the Democratic-controlled state legislature.
49 actions outlined in the new plan

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“While the art-of-the-possible continues to shift below our feet, we remain committed to leading the nation on climate action,” Polis wrote in an introduction to the plan. “Colorado should embrace these changes and carefully weigh the benefits and downsides of many climate solutions — both mature and emerging — and this Roadmap establishes a framework to do just that.”

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