Colorado Coalition for a Livable Climate Reaction to Draft Executive Order on “Mitigating and Adapti

For immediate release

Thursday, August 25th, 2016

Contacts: Kevin Cross 970-419-8944, info@fccan.org, Micah Parkin 504-258-1247, micah@350colorado.org

Fort Collins, CO – Yesterday, a draft Executive Order titled “Mitigating and Adapting to Climate Change” was leaked to the press. The centerpiece of the Executive Order is a directive calling on Colorado to achieve 25% reductions in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from the power sector by 2025 and 35% CO2 emissions reductions by 2035, again from the power sector, compared to 2012 levels. These numbers align closely with the Obama Administration’s Clean Power Plan goals.

The draft Executive Order clearly shows the enormous gap between the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction goals Governor Hickenlooper is willing to consider, and the reductions that are needed in order to preserve a livable climate. The power sector represents only 30% of statewide emissions, and the goals established in the Executive Order only address CO2 emissions and don’t consider methane from fracked natural gas. Even if CO2 were the only greenhouse gas, Hickenlooper’s Executive Order would translate to only 8% statewide GHG emissions reductions by 2025 and 11% statewide GHG emissions reductions by 2035 compared to 2005, the base year used by Governor Ritter when he issued Colorado’s first Executive Order on the climate in 2008. Because of the methane emissions from the drilling, production, and distribution of fracked gas, Hickenlooper’s Executive Order may actually result in an increase in GHG emissions rather than a decrease.

Based on the best available science, the Colorado Coalition for a Livable Climate (CCLC) is calling for a 100% reduction in GHG emissions by 2030 in order to support limiting the average global temperature rise to 1.5° C (2.7° F) by the end of this century. That is the maximum temperature rise endorsed by the delegates of nearly 200 nations at the Paris Climate talks last December.

“Hickenlooper’s draft Executive Order appears to be a greenwashing sham,” said Kevin Cross, spokesperson for the CCLC. “We need real goals and real reductions as soon as possible.”

Even the old Ritter Administration GHG emissions reduction goal of 20% by 2020 compared to 2005 levels is better than the goals that Governor Hickenlooper is proposing. Colorado needs to move forward, not backward on addressing the climate crisis.

Member organizations of the CCLC include:

1. 350 Colorado

2. Clean Energy Action

3. Colorado Chapter, Global Catholic Climate Movement

4. Colorado Interfaith Power and Light

5. Colorado Renewable Energy Society

6. Community for Sustainable Energy

7. Coop Members Alliance

8. Denver Catholic Network

9. Eco-Justice Ministries

10. Empower Our Future

11. EnergyShouldBe.Org