HomeMy WebLinkAboutR23-027 Supporting Updates to the Colorado Communities for Climate Action Policy Statement DocuSign Envelope ID:D94144E4-22E8-400A-AA49-0684F1EB5D94
Commissioner s c h e r r moved
adoption of the following Resolution:
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
COUNTY OF EAGLE, STATE OF COLORADO
RESOLUTION NO. 2023- 027
RESOLUTION SUPPORTING UPDATES TO THE COLORADO
COMMUNITIES FOR CLIMATE ACTION POLICY
STATEMENT
WHEREAS,The Eagle County Board of Commissioners recognizes the significant
impacts to our community and many others that are already taking place, and the likelihood that
these impacts will continue to intensify in the coming years, including additional infrastructure
costs, health impacts to community members, economic impacts to businesses,water supply and
water quality challenges, and others;
WHEREAS, The Eagle County Board of Commissioners, along with forty-
one other municipalities and counties in Colorado, have joined Colorado
Communities for Climate Action("CC4CA"), a coalition of local governments across
the state which advocates for state and federal policies which support clean air, clean
water,reduction of fossil fuel consumption, and other contributors associated with
greenhouse gas pollution; and
WHEREAS, an integral part of this system is the adoption of updates to CC4CA's
Policy Statement,which guides the coalition's work; and
WHEREAS, Eagle County Government desires to have an effective voice in the
development of statewide energy and climate policies;
WHEREAS, the proposed updates to CC4CA's Policy Statement are in
alignment with Eagle County Government.
NOW,THEREFORE,BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY
COMMISSIONERS OF THE COUNTY OF EAGLE, STATE OF COLORADO:
THAT, The Eagle County Board of Commissioners supports the attached updates to
the CC4CA Policy Statement.
THAT,the board hereby finds, determines and declares that this Resolution is necessary
for the public health, safety and welfare of the residents of the County of Eagle, State of
Colorado.
MOVED,READ AND ADOPTED by the Board of County Commissioners of the
County of Eagle, State of Colorado, at its regular meeting held the 2nd day of May, 2023.
DocuSign Envelope ID:D94144E4-22E8-400A-AA49-0684F1EB5D94
COUNTY OF EAGLE, STATE OF
�— DocuSigned by: COLORADO, By and Through Its
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
ATTEST:
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Commissioner McQueeney seconded adoption of the foregoing resolution. The roll
having been called,the vote was as follows:
Commissioner Chandler-Henry Aye
Commissioner Scherr Aye
Commissioner McQueeney Aye
This resolution passed by 3/0 vote of the Board of County Commissioners of the
County of Eagle, State of Colorado
DocuSign Envelope ID:D94144E4-22E8-400A-AA49-0684F1EB5D94
CC4CA
Colorado Communities
for Climate Action
CC4CA Policy Statement
Effective July 1, 2021
Adopted by the Board of Directors June 4, 2021
y• , MAR 04. 4
a Y `' b< �Y ' N 1 X
Colorado Communities for Climate Action is a coalition of local governments advocating for
stronger state and federal climate policy. CC4CA's policy positions reflect unanimous
agreement among the coalition members on steps that should be taken at the state and federal
level, often in partnership with local governments,to enable Colorado and its communities to
lead in protecting the climate.
CC4CA generally focuses on legislative, regulatory, and administrative action,supporting
efforts that advance the general policy principles and the detailed policy positions described
below, and opposing efforts that would weaken or undermine these principles and positions.
General Policy Principles
The following general principles guide Colorado Communities for Climate Action's specific
policy positions. CC4CA supports:
• Collaboration between state and federal government agencies and Colorado's local
governments to advance local climate protection and resilience.
• State and federal programs to reduce greenhouse gas pollution,including adequate and
ongoing funding of those programs.
• Analyses,financial incentives, infrastructure, fiscal tools and enabling policies for the
development and deployment of clean energy technologies.
• Locally driven and designed programs to support communities impacted by the clean
energy transformation.
• Centering equity in decision-making by prioritizing policies that address systemic
environmental and governance inequities based on race and socioeconomic status and
that justly transition and grow the clean energy economy.
Adams County•Aspen•Avon•Basalt•Boulder•Boulder County•Breckenridge•Broomfield•Carbondale
Clear Creek County•Crested Butte•Dillon•Durango•Eagle County•Edgewater•Erie•Fort Collins•Frisco
Gilpin County•Glenwood Springs•Golden•Lafayette•Lake County•Larimer County•Longmont•Louisville•Lyons
Mountain Village•Nederland•Northglenn•Ouray County•Pitkin County•Ridgway•Routt County•Salida
San Miguel County•Snowmass Village•Summit County•Superior•Telluride•Vail•Wheat Ridge
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Policy Positions
Colorado Communities for Climate Action supports policies that:
Statewide Climate Strategies
1.Reduce statewide greenhouse gas emissions consistent with or greater than the State
of Colorado's adopted,codified goals.
2.Secure accurate,actionable,useful,and regular state greenhouse gas inventories and
forecasts for Colorado which are made accessible to local governments and incorporate
alignment between state and local inventory data to the extent possible.
3.Adopt a comprehensive market-based approach to reduce Colorado's greenhouse gas
emissions that ensures the benefits accrue justly and equitably to impacted
communities.
4.Treat the environmental and health costs associated with the use of fossil fuels as an
important priority in making and implementing climate-related policy.
Local Climate Strategies
5.Remove barriers and promote opportunities that allow counties and municipalities
to maximize deployment of local clean energy and climate-related strategies,including
resilience-oriented strategies,while promoting affordable,accessible,and equitable
delivery of reliable clean energy.
6.Enable local governments to obtain the energy use and other data from utilities and
state agencies that they need to effectively administer climate and clean energy
programs.
7.Support well-designed public processes for evaluating retail and wholesale energy Y
choice options for communities,informed by a broad variety of stakeholders.
8.Provide for cost-effective and equitable policies,strategies,and practices that enable
and accelerate energy efficiency in buildings,beneficial electrification, reducing
building related GHG emissions,and improving quality of life.
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Energy Generation, Transmission, and Distribution
9.Modernize energy infrastructure to strengthen grid reliability,enhance resilience
(community-based and otherwise),improve transmission,and more fully integrate
renewable energy,distributed generation,and energy storage resources.
10.Retire or discontinue the use of fossil fuel power plants while ensuring grid
reliability.
11.Discourage construction of new fossil fuel power plants.
12.Expand the ability of electric cooperatives and municipal electric utilities to
independently purchase local renewable electricity and take other steps to reduce
greenhouse gas pollution.
Energy Efficiency
13.Expand demand side savings from efficiency and conservation for all energy types.
14.Support ongoing and sustainable funding for weatherization and renewable energy
assistance to low-income households.
15.Provide counties and statutory cities and towns with the same authority held by
home rule cities to implement local energy conservation policies and programs.
Transportation
16.Ensure effective implementation of Colorado's vehicle emissions standards,GHG-
related regulations,state and regional transportation-related plans,and other
regulatory and programmatic activities designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
from mobile sources.
17.Increase funding and policy incentives for multimodal transportation and mobility
options,based on efficient use of resources.
Land Use
18.Encourage adoption and implementation of statewide policies that enable local
governments to enact land use,zoning,and planning policies that help reduce
greenhouse gas emissions and improve resilience.
19.Encourage adoption and implementation of practices in the agriculture and forest
sectors that durably reduce greenhouse gases,increase resilience,improve water
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conservation,support ecosystem health,and promote a sustainable,low-carbon
agriculture and forestry economy in Colorado.
Resilience
20.Proactively improve the resilience and adaptability of Colorado communities in the
face of natural disasters and other challenges associated with climate change,including
ensuring that disaster stabilization and recovery efforts result in reduced greenhouse
gas pollution and improved resilience to future disasters.
21.Reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with water management,and increase
water resilience,through water conservation,efficiency,reuse,adaptation,low impact
development strategies,and other approaches.
Fuel Sources
22.Eliminate emissions from and achieve comprehensive,high accuracy monitoring of
fossil fuel extractive industry activities.
23.Secure appropriate guardrails on the development/use of alternative energy
technologies,such as hydrogen and biomass,based on their life cycle greenhouse gas
emissions impacts, environmental and social impacts,and cost.
Waste
24.Ensure that CDPHE has adequate authority to implement plans and policies for
meeting Colorado's statewide and regional solid waste diversion goals.
25.Secure high levels of circular economy activities like reuse,recycling,composting,
and reducing the carbon intensiveness of materials and products,including reducing
and eliminating use of disposable/single-use products and construction and demolition
waste.
26.Achieve significant greenhouse gas emissions reductions from solid waste,water
treatment,and wastewater processing.
General
27.Support ongoing and sustainable funding for programs that assist communities in
the transition from fossil fuel-dominated economies.
28.Support exploration and deployment,when appropriate,of well-regulated
technologies and practices that retain currently sequestered carbon,capture
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greenhouse gasses before they are emitted,remove greenhouse gasses from the
atmosphere,and use or sequester this carbon.
29.Encourage investments that achieve climate-positive solutions,including policies
that encourage entities investing public dollars to consider partial or full divestment in
fossil fuel extraction and use as part of their investment strategies.
30.Maintain protections and authorities currently provided under environmental laws
like the National Environmental Policy Act,Clean Air Act,and Clean Water Act,and
ensure that these laws are fully implemented and can be improved through
stakeholder input when appropriate.
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