Climate Archives - Conservation Colorado

What’s in the air matters: Colorado’s chance to limit toxic pollution

Communications — Fri, 08 Aug 2025 20:16:19 +0000

Every day, people across Colorado breathe in toxic air — at home, at work and school. And while many of us expect the air to be clean, the truth is that too many communities live near highways, factories and oil and gas sites where the air is far from safe.

For decades, communities have carried the heaviest burden of pollution. Now, Colorado has a chance to set stronger rules that protect people from toxic air through a new rulemaking that could finally put public health first.

What is this rulemaking about?

The Air Quality Control Commission is working on Regulation 30, a new set of rules that could better protect our health. This process — called a “rulemaking” — is focused on setting health-based standards for five of the most dangerous toxic air contaminants in Colorado. These contaminants, known as the Five Priority Air Toxics, can cause cancer, heart and lung disease and other serious health problems — even at low levels. You need to know what those toxins are — especially if you or someone you love lives near oil and gas sites, plastic or rubber manufacturers or busy highways. These are the pollutants many Colorado communities are breathing every day:

Benzene: Found in gas and oil. Linked to leukemia and respiratory irritation
Ethylene Oxide: Used to sterilize equipment. Linked to cancer and breathing problems
Hexavalent Chromium: Released from industrial processes like metal production, chemical manufacturing and burning coal or oil. Linked to lung cancer and breathing problems
Formaldehyde (rotten egg smell): Found in factories that make pressed wood products and wallpaper and paint products. Linked to cancer, asthma and throat and skin irritation
Hydrogen Sulfide: Released from oil drilling and wastewater plants. Linked to headaches, nausea and eye irritation

Why this rulemaking matters

Can you believe that Colorado currently doesn’t have strong, health-based limits on how much of these toxic chemicals pollute the air?

That’s a big problem — especially for communities already facing higher risks because of where they live. And it’s not just a distant issue: Colorado’s air quality gets worse every year. The “brown cloud” often hides our mountains, reminding us just how urgent this is.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. Stronger rules can mean cleaner air, fewer health problems, fewer missed school days, lower medical costs and a better quality of life for all Coloradans.

You need to know this: When the air is polluted, the risks are real:

Kids can develop asthma
Older adults face higher risks of heart and lung disease
Pregnant people may experience complications
Families worry about cancer and other serious health problems

Speak Up — Share your story to protect our communities

Have you or someone you love experienced asthma, heart or lung issues, pregnancy complications or smelled strong fumes near your home? This rulemaking impacts you and your family and now is your chance to speak up. You don’t need to be an expert, your story matters.

Deadline: Submit your comment to the Air Quality Control Commission by Sept. 2 at 5 p.m.

What to share:
Tell the members of the Air Quality Control Commission how air pollution has affected you and why we need strong, health-based standards on Regulation 30 to limit toxic air contaminants and protect our communities.

If it’s your first time submitting a public comment, we’re here to help. Connect with Jaz Boehmke (jaz@conservationco.org) to get guidance on how to submit your comment. Your comment will be part of the public record and may be shared publicly by the AQCC.

The post What’s in the air matters: Colorado’s chance to limit toxic pollution appeared first on Conservation Colorado.

Colorado’s 2025 legislative session: Climate wins powered by you

Communications — Tue, 24 Jun 2025 18:58:44 +0000

As we reflect on the 2025 legislative session, we’re filled with gratitude.

Your dedication, from contacting legislators to testifying at hearings to supporting Conservation Colorado financially, has been instrumental in securing crucial victories for Colorado’s climate and communities. Your advocacy made a real difference. Here are just a few of the highlights you helped make possible:

CLIMATE & CLEAN AIR

Tackled the nation’s top source of pollution: transportation
We drove and passed two new policies that expand clean transportation options, reduce traffic and improve transit access and reliability. These changes will help clean up our air and make it easier for people across the state to get to work, school and essential services.

Bringing renewable energy closer to home
Supported a new law that will make it easier to install power lines along Colorado’s highways, allowing more homes and businesses to be powered by clean energy like wind and solar, without harming wildlife habitat.

Defended clean electricity from corporate giveaways
We successfully blocked a bill that would have given tax breaks to energy- and water-intensive tech companies without requiring environmental safeguards. This effort protected Colorado’s clean electricity leadership and ensured our resources remain focused on real climate solutions.

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE

Expanded access to the outdoors
We helped secure funding for the Outdoor Equity Grant Program, which helps historically excluded communities access parks, trails and nature. This is a critical investment in community health, both mental and physical, and an important step toward ensuring everyone can benefit from Colorado’s natural beauty.

LANDS & WATER

Protected wildlife and outdoor recreation
The Colorado Wildlife Habitat Program was permanently reauthorized. Since its creation, the program has protected 35,000 acres of wildlife habitat and opened 156,000 acres for activities like hunting, fishing and wildlife viewing.

Invested in water quality and drought resilience
We secured important water quality improvements to address damage from historic mining, along with increased funding to tackle the growing threat of drought across the state.

These victories wouldn’t have been possible without your support. You stood up for Colorado’s environment, and it paid off.

Stay tuned for our 2025 Legislative Scorecard, where you’ll see how your representatives voted on these key issues and how their decisions align with your environmental values.

Together, we’re securing a healthier, more equitable future for Colorado

The post Colorado’s 2025 legislative session: Climate wins powered by you appeared first on Conservation Colorado.

Q&A with Auden Schendler: Author of Terrible Beauty: Reckoning with Climate Complicity and Rediscovering Our Soul

Super Admin — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 18:32:09 +0000

We’re excited to share the latest work from Auden Schendler, an environmental advocate, former Conservation Colorado board member and long-time sustainability innovator. His new book, Terrible Beauty: Reckoning with Climate Complicity and Rediscovering Our Soul, takes a candid and often humorous look at the environmental crisis and the urgency of action. Below, we dive into a Q&A with Schendler about his personal journey, the themes of his book and the bigger picture of climate change.

You can find more about the book, Terrible Beauty at www.audenschendler.com

Q: Before we dive into your book, could you share a brief bio with our readers?

Schendler:
I grew up in New Jersey at its worst—rampant pollution, poverty, and crime. It was the pre-Clean Air and Water Acts era, and I remember playing baseball above the Lincoln Tunnel, with purple plumes of filth billowing past first base. But when I visited my grandparents in North Dakota, I was struck by the contrast: what went wrong in New Jersey? And how do we fix it? That question stuck with me as I moved to Colorado right after college and began my work in environmental advocacy. I served on Conservation Colorado’s board for nearly a decade and spent 25 years pioneering sustainability initiatives at Aspen Skiing Company. Along the way, I got in trouble a lot for pushing the boundaries of traditional corporate sustainability.

Q: Can you tell us a little bit about your background and what inspired you to write a book focused on the environment?

Schendler:
I’ve always believed that climate change is the fundamental sustainability challenge. My work has often been about asking, “Is this enough?” The answer is usually no. Over time, I realized that much of modern environmentalism, particularly corporate sustainability, was essentially a system designed by the fossil fuel industry to maintain the status quo. It’s like the way authoritarian governments distract people with sports—keeping them focused on something other than real systemic change. In practice, this meant environmental efforts that focused on individual or firm-level actions, like reducing carbon footprints, rather than tackling the larger, systemic issues we need to address. My “spear through the heart moment” came during a bike ride in the Elk Mountains when I realized that we, as a society, have been complicit in supporting the fossil fuel industry, which is the very agent of our destruction.

Q: What personal experiences or events sparked your passion for environmental issues and motivated you to advocate for change through writing?

Schendler:
This book is not your typical “climate book.” It’s not filled with doom-and-gloom science and token solutions. Instead, it’s a journey. It starts with a story of my friends and me chasing a dust devil in Utah, trying to get inside it. It weaves in tales of my son’s gnome collection, my daughter’s martial arts, turtle hatchings and river trips. Through these personal moments, I aim to highlight what we stand to lose from climate change: joy. The reason we need to act is not just to prevent disaster, but to protect the things we love. Too often, we don’t act as if we truly love them. This book is an invitation to rediscover that joy—and the urgency of protecting it.

Q: In your book, what do you hope readers will take away about the urgency of protecting our planet, and how they can make a difference in their own lives?

Schendler:
I differentiate between personal actions that focus on individual lifestyles (which are important but not enough) and actions that wield power and create change—like political engagement, joining movements or running for office. These are the things that truly move society forward. I often say, “If it’s easy and sexy, it’s probably not meaningful environmentalism.” The hard stuff—the battles where people get mad at you, where you’re scared, where you lose sleep—that’s where real change happens. In my book, I share stories of these tough battles with humor and a sense of joy. Because even in the darkest moments, there is incredible opportunity. We have the chance to save civilization. What an exciting opportunity that is!

The post Q&A with Auden Schendler: Author of Terrible Beauty: Reckoning with Climate Complicity and Rediscovering Our Soul appeared first on Conservation Colorado.

The Colorado Outdoor Business Alliance supports the Advanced Clean Cars 2 rule (ACC2)

Sean Price — Mon, 16 Oct 2023 21:42:45 +0000

Dear Air Quality Control Commissioners,

As Colorado Business Owners we write to thank you for considering the Advanced Clean Cars II rule and to urge you to show national leadership by adopting the strongest rule possible. We chose to build our lives and businesses in Colorado because of the fresh air, access to nature, thriving communities, and the commitment to protect our environment.

As Sophia Petrillo from The Golden Girls is affectionately known for saying, “Picture it.” We ask you to consider the future that we see glimpses of today – people stuck indoors due to poor outdoor air quality that makes them sick while skis, paddle boards, and rafts sit in landfills because water and winter sports no longer exist. As our transportation sector continues to be a major emitter of greenhouse gasses and our climate continues to warm, our communities get hotter, weather becomes more volatile, snowpack decreases, stream flows dwindle, wildlife is threatened, and wildfires are an increasing threat to our health and safety. These all threaten the Colorado way of life that we love. They also pose direct threats to a thriving economy, the ability of Coloradans to enjoy the outdoors, and the livelihood of the tourism industry. The Advanced Clean Cars II rulemaking represents a critical moment for the future of our communities and climate – and advancing the strongest clean cars rule possible is essential for safeguarding our communities health and meeting our states climate goals to reduce planet warming emissions by 100% in 2050.

Full adoption of Advanced Clean Cars II will protect the health of every community in Colorado saving 216 lives, avoiding 200 hospital visits, and preventing 132,000 minor illnesses by 2050. Clean air means healthy communities and the opportunity to enjoy the state’s natural resources; bringing more people to enjoy their favorite outdoor activity or discover it. We also look forward to the competitive advantage offered by increased investment in charging infrastructure that will bring tourists from across the country to our communities when they realize they can roadtrip with their electric vehicles and find reliable places to charge up.

Coupled with increased tourism demand, we are looking forward to the more than $14,000 dollars per vehicle in fuel and maintenance savings and leveraging federal investments to save money both for our businesses and for Coloradans across the state. We encourage you to adopt the strongest rule possible so that automakers don’t pass over Colorado to focus on states that do.

We applaud your work in taking up Advanced Clean Cars II and urge you to continue Colorado’s reputation as a national leader in confronting climate change by passing the strongest rule possible and in so doing protecting our communities, environment, and economy.

Sincerely,

Aspen Skiing Company – Aspen, CO
Aktiv Style – Aurora, CO
Be Someone Design Co. – Grand Junction, CO
CHAZM Consulting – Thornton, CO
Climate Refram, PBC – Commerce City, CO
ClimateCon!, LLC – Commerce City, CO
Glenn Randall Writing & Photography – Boulder, CO
Mountain Waters Rafting – Durango, CO
New Way Refillery – Grand Junction, CO
Stray Wild – Grand Junction, CO 
Suffer Better – Denver, CO
Wild Wonder Learning – Grand Junction, CO

The post The Colorado Outdoor Business Alliance supports the Advanced Clean Cars 2 rule (ACC2) appeared first on Conservation Colorado.

IRA Blog

Communications — Mon, 18 Sep 2023 19:05:16 +0000

By: Colorado House Democrats

Click here to read in Spanish

It’s been one year since the passage of President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, accelerating the deployment of clean energy, clean vehicles, clean buildings, and clean manufacturing. But how does the most significant action Congress has ever taken to tackle the climate crisis affect you?

Well, besides the creation of jobs, the reduction of pollution, and the protection of those who are most at risk from climate change, there are a plethora of tax credits, rebates, and incentives available.

1. Colorado Electric Vehicle (EV) Incentives

All Colorado taxpayers are eligible for the EV tax credit, which recently doubled to $5,000 for the purchase or lease of a qualifying electric vehicle. Starting Jan. 1, 2024, EVs under $35,000 MSRP will be eligible for an additional tax credit of $2,500, making the Colorado EV Tax Credit $7,500 for qualifying EVs under $35,000.

2. Vehicle Exchange (VXC) Program

Income-qualified Coloradans can replace their vehicle that is model year 2011 or older or fails a state emissions test with an EV and receive up to a $6,000 rebate for a new EV or $4,000 for a used EV. This applies to households currently enrolled in income-qualified programs or that earn less than 80% of the area median income.

3. Federal Electric Vehicle (EV) Incentives

Colorado residents can combine their Colorado EV tax credits with the Federal EV incentives of a $7,500 tax credit for the purchase of a new qualifying EV. To receive the credit, you must be below the income cap of $150,000 for single filers, $225,000 for head of household, or $300,000 for joint filers.

4. Colorado E-Bike Incentives

Low-income rebates of over $1,100 and moderate-income rebates of over $500 will be available in September. In spring 2024, there will be an expanded program (for all income levels) that provides $450 off an e-bike. Applicants whose household income is below 80% of area median income are eligible for low-income rebates and applicants whose household income is between 80-100% of the area median income are eligible for moderate-income rebates.

5. Heat Pump Incentives

Unlike a furnace, heat pumps don’t burn fossil fuels, saving owners an average of 20-40% on their annual utility bills. Colorado taxpayers can currently apply for a combined 10% tax credit and a 2.9% sales tax exemption for a 12.9% discount on the price of heat pump equipment. Xcel Energy customers also may be eligible for a variety of heat pump rebates. Starting in 2024, Coloradans are eligible for a one-time $1,500 tax credit for an air-source heat pump or a $3,000 tax credit for a ground-source heat pump. Colorado residents who install heat pump water heaters can also apply for a $500 tax credit.

6. Electric Lawn Equipment Incentives

Starting January 2024, Coloradans can receive a 30% point-of-sale discount on electric lawnmowers, leaf blowers, trimmers and snow blowers. This means there’s no application or process – the prices will be marked down at the retailers.

7. Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP)

This program provides free home audits conducted by a verified service provider to determine what energy efficiency upgrades a home requires. If a home receives WAP services, the home will be evaluated for free rooftop solar, provided at no cost to the homeowner.

8. Healthy Homes Program

Eligible households in Denver can access tens of thousands of dollars for upgrades like heat pumps and weatherization for their home.

Incentives for Commercial, Businesses, Communities, and Government

1. Charge Ahead Colorado

This community electric vehicle charging grant program provides funding to install Level 2 and DC fast charging stations. This program is open to all organizations except for single-family homes and deeded parking spaces. Funding for stations can be up to $150,000. Applications are open through Oct. 13, 2023.

2. DC Fast Charging Plazas

This grant program is designed to increase access to high-speed charging in communities and along highway corridors across Colorado. Applications open in fall 2023.

3. Community Accelerated Mobility Project (CAMP)

This grant program is designed to support communities to address their mobility needs with an electric mobility component, including electric carshare, electric vanpool, community electric bike share, community charging infrastructure, and more. The application deadline is Oct. 27, 2023.

4. Commercial Clean Vehicle Credit

Businesses and tax-exempt organizations that buy a qualified commercial clean vehicle may be eligible for a maximum credit amount of $7,500 per vehicle with a gross weight rating of less than 14,000 pounds or $40,000 for all other vehicles. The credit is limited to the lesser of 15% of the vehicle’s cost (30% for vehicles not gasoline or diesel powered) or the incremental cost of the vehicle, as compared to vehicles powered with a gasoline or diesel internal combustion engine.

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