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(May 1) – The House preliminarily passed a bill by Rep. Chris Hansen to collect long-term climate change data.
“Colorado’s way of life is being threatened by climate change and carbon pollution emissions, and we need a data driven approach to protect it. But we are falling short on reducing carbon emissions because we are not collecting adequate information. This bill will lay a strong foundation of data that we can build upon to evaluate emissions,” said Rep. Hansen, D-Denver.
Due to a lack of leadership in Washington, states must lead on climate action. Recent reports show that President Trump’s misguided federal budget would cut climate programs. For example, under the Trump budget, funding for the Environmental Protection Agency’s air and energy research program, which is tasked with climate change research, would have been slashed by two-thirds.
Under SB19-096, the Air Quality Control Commission (AQCC) would be required to collect carbon emissions data across Colorado. This commission would then produce a report and forecast future emissions, as well as propose the most cost-effective way for Colorado to meet our carbon emissions reduction goals. The AQCC, which is part of the Department of Public Health and Environment, must complete all legislative requirements by July 1, 2020.
The Senate co-prime sponsor of the bill is Sen. Kerry Donovan, D-Vail.
This bill was approved on a voice-vote. A final vote will take place at a later date.