Colorado Regulator Joins Climate Change Coalition

The Colorado Public Utilities Commission joined a coalition of western utility regulators, a cooperative effort formed in 2006 to promote clean energy and reduce carbon emissions, according to a Sept. 24 news release. The commission is the fifth to take part in the Joint Action Framework on Climate Change, following the Nevada’s utility commission, which joined  last month. The other signatories are the California, Oregon, and Washington utility regulators.

The initiative aims to share information and best practices to cut carbon pollution and expand the development of low-carbon technologies in the energy sector. The partnership builds on a history of cooperation aimed to reduce carbon emissions, improve reliability, and bring cost benefits for ratepayers, the agencies noted.

Colorado has enacted several measures in recent months to support clean energy. In May, Democratic Governor Jared Polis signed a slate of bills that will transform the state’s energy and environmental landscape, and unveiled a roadmap for the state to reach 100 percent renewable energy by 2040. The centerpiece of the state’s climate policy is a bill that sets a goal of achieving emission cuts of 26 percent by 2025, 50 percent by 2030, and 90 percent by 2050, relative to 2005 levels.