Gov. Polis Brings Industry, Environmental Groups & Legislative Leaders Together to Make Progress on Climate, Air Quality and to Keep Costly & Divisive Measures Off the Ballot

DENVER - Today, Governor Polis announced that Democratic legislative leaders, industry, and the environmental community have agreed on a new legislative package that makes major progress on air quality, ozone, and climate goals while focusing on an economy-wide transition that will support a stronger Colorado future for generations to come. This is a thoughtful agreement that is the result of hundreds of hours of hard work,  convening conversations among, at times, adversarial parties, and putting in the effort to seek consensus and forge a better path forward for Colorado. As a result, the parties have agreed that new costly, divisive legislation or ballot measures that impact the operations of industry, new regulatory changes for oil and gas, or ozone regulations is not in the best interest of the state. 

The state will need time to implement the new, agreed-upon policies and make the investments. The Polis administration, legislators and the state are committed to regulatory certainty and putting Colorado on a path to achieve climate goals. This agreement represents a commitment to work together to achieve these goals and enact this legislative package. This consensus between major oil and gas producers, the ozone coalition including major environmental NGOs, the ozone legislative bill sponsors, Democratic legislative leaders, and the Governor, means divisive legislation that threatens the oil and gas industry’s existence and ballot initiatives that rollback environmental protections are no longer desired or needed as Colorado leaders roll up their sleeves to do this work the Colorado Way.   

“Leading our state often means pulling together people with different viewpoints to work together and forge the best path forward for Colorado. This important agreement does just that by taking important steps to improve air quality, transition away from emissions-causing transportation systems, and protect our lands, while also pulling down opposing ballot initiatives. I thank my staff for their hard work, and responsible industry and environmental groups for coming to the table and stepping back from costly, risky, and divisive actions. Reaching a consensus with this diverse group of stakeholders, who rarely agree on anything, is a strong step for Colorado and our future. The unintended consequences and unpredictability of proposed ballot measures would take Colorado in the wrong direction and I am thrilled that we are following the Colorado way,” said Governor Jared Polis.

“Colorado is leading the country on improving air quality and carbon emission reductions through a market-driven, sector-by-sector approach — from power to transportation to oil and gas and every pollution source in Colorado — delivering real results while creating good-paying jobs and reducing costs for consumers,” the Governor continued. 

The coalition who worked on this agreement and who are in support of the legislation includes: Earthjustice, Conservation Colorado, Southwest Energy Efficiency Project, major oil and gas operators (Occidental, Civitas, Chevron), Green Latinos, CoPIRG, Earthworks, Western Resource Advocates, Healthy Air and Water Colorado. 

Under Governor Polis’s leadership, costly and divisive oil and gas ballot measures have been kept off the ballot, which could have led to unintended consequences and taken Colorado in the wrong direction. Governor Polis and his team have partnered with the legislature and state agencies to enact comprehensive policy approaches to improve air quality and reduce ozone pollution.

In partnership with the legislature, Governor Polis passed and signed landmark legislation in Senate Bill 181, bringing local communities to the table to decide how oil and gas development should look in their communities. The landmark SB-181 is one of more than 70 laws the legislature has passed and the Governor has signed to address greenhouse gas and ozone pollution. In 2023, Gov. Polis announced a major new action to curb harmful air pollution from the oil and gas sector & the first comprehensive nitrogen oxides (NOx) reduction program for oil and gas in the United States.

The legislative package set to be introduced at the state legislature will generate significant new funding for transit and rail, as well as land conservation and habitation protection, from modest fees placed on oil and gas production in Colorado. The legislation will also create more permitting and enforcement authority for the state to reduce emissions, new strategies and authorities to protect and improve air quality and reduce pollution in Colorado communities. The bills drive further collaboration between air regulators and the Colorado Energy and Carbon Management Commission to continue reducing pollution from oil and gas, and put in place new protections for communities disproportionately impacted by pollution. 

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