Blog - Colorado CCL actions and progress

New Colorado Climate Corps to combat wildfires and floods, protect public lands

Climate related impacts, like those resulting from drought, bug-killed forests, wildfires, and floods, are increasing throughout Colorado. As a result, so is the need for on-the-ground efforts to rehabilitate impacted forests and watersheds, and to adapt our communities for resiliency and energy efficiency. Colorado has taken a step forward by creating a “climate corps,” a workforce dedicated to dealing with these issues. Read more about how the state is working with AmeriCorps and other service organizations on this important work.

Longmont City Council endorses carbon fee and dividend policy

Recently, the Longmont CCL chapter completed a three-year campaign to secure an endorsement of the Energy Innovation Act from the Longmont City Council. This win is a big step toward helping the city meet its climate goals, and it will boost efforts to secure other endorsements for carbon pricing. Read on for details about the long journey to reach this local milestone.

What CO members of Congress need to hear from us right now

CCL Community provides a broad overview of our messages to Democratic and Republican members of Congress (MOCs). In Colorado, we’ve added some nuance to the overall strategy. Read on for what our Colorado MOCs need to be hearing from us on climate policy, considering where they’re coming from, and the issues critical to Coloradans.

Proposed methane fee can have major impact

Methane comprises only 10% of all greenhouse gases, but it has 84 times the warming power of carbon dioxide over the first 20 years. The IPCC says that cutting methane emissions is the best opportunity we have to quickly get on track toward our long term climate goals. Learn more about the tax Senate Democrats have proposed designed to cut U.S. methane emissions.

Collaborative CCLers lead to CO economists endorsing EICDA

Inspired by an OpEd from Kentucky economists endorsing carbon fee and dividend, Fort Collins CCLers wondered if they could do something similar. The ensuing cross-chapter effort resulted in an opinion piece in the Denver Post, signed by seventeen Colorado economists. Read more about how this process unfolded.

Art banners, QR codes and community parades

Boulder County CCLers have been engaging passersby at outreach events this summer to get the word out about carbon pricing. Learn about the variety of opportunities they’ve found, some of their more memorable interactions, highlights from new and experienced volunteers, and what in-person community outreach has been like amid fluctuating Covid rules.

Ambitious climate policy—and carbon pricing—are alive in Congress

Over the past few weeks, tens of thousands of CCLers have contacted Congress in support of including carbon pricing in the reconciliation package. Currently there are several carbon pricing bills in Congress, any one of which could provide the basis for carbon pricing in the reconciliation package. Read on to learn more about some of those bills.

Moving beyond climate “doom and gloom”

Climate change advocacy is a double-edged sword - it can be highly rewarding, and yet it can be stressful, painful, and exhausting. Anxiety and feelings of helplessness are rational responses to the dreadful possibility of loss of biodiversity, clean air, and water. However, embracing these messy emotions can also be the foundation for empowerment and progress. Ankita Arora shares her personal reflections on “doom and gloom” and provides some resources to build resilience, courage, hope, and support change.

CO CCL LTE of the month: Susan Atkinson’s Op-Ed in the Durango Herald

The recently released sixth assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is clear that climate impacts are already here and we need to take rapid action to keep things from getting far worse. In her op-ed, Susan Atkinson, of the Durango CCL chapter, says we need to quit talking about a drought on the western slope and call it what it really is: desertification. Susan describes the effects of desertification and how we need to address the root cause – climate change – by adding a price on carbon pollution and returning those fees to American households.

Summer Road Trip: Durango and the local CCL chapter

As summer winds down we visit our third road trip destination, Durango. Outdoor recreation is the main draw, with lots of good eateries and breweries. The Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad has been voted the #1 best scenic train ride in the US. The Durango CCL chapter has been very active right from its start in 2017. It has its own website and uses a team leadership model. Read more about their outreach, lobbying, endorsements and media work.

Finding optimism

Ft. Collins chapter leader Scott Simmons reflects on how to find optimism in a world that is already struggling with the impacts of climate change. Scott starts by acknowledging what weighs heavily on his heart and mind and then lists many recent developments in the climate sphere that give him hope. Scott shares what he does to buoy his own spirits, including, most importantly, the simple act of looking into the eyes of his granddaughter.

House Conservative Climate Caucus: Should we be optimistic or skeptical?

This summer House Republicans formed a Conservative Climate Caucus. Will this caucus be a forum for education or will they work to enact meaningful legislation? Their website declares that climate is changing, reducing emissions is the goal, and fossil fuels can be part of the solution. Read on for more thoughts on this caucus and what action you can take.

Border carbon adjustment gains traction in Congress ― U.S. steel manufacturing will benefit

Border carbon adjustments (BCA) have been proposed by Senate Democrats and the European Union. Under either type of BCA, U.S. steel manufacturing will have a relative advantage over foreign companies because of their carbon efficiency. There’s a long way to go before these plans get enacted, so the time is now for us to lobby Congress to include carbon pricing in the budget reconciliation package.

Rep. Diana DeGette cosponsors Energy Innovation Act

Rep. Diana DeGette has added her name to the growing list of cosponsors of the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act, H.R. 2307 (EICDA). Rep. DeGette joins Colorado Representatives Jason Crow, Joe Neguse and Ed Perlmutter in supporting the bill, and she is its seventy-ninth cosponsor. Learn more about Rep. DeGette’s leadership on climate solutions, and thank her for cosponsoring the EICDA.

CO CCL LTE of the month: Chris Hoffman’s Op-Ed in the Daily Camera

Chris Hoffman’s op-ed lays out the sobering news and the good news. The sobering news is that we need to up our game if we’re going to avert climate catastrophe, and the International Energy Agency’s recently announced road map for reaching net zero emissions by 2050 illustrates the scale of the challenge. The good news is the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act (EICDA) is a powerful first step in the right direction. Chris describes the many benefits of the EICDA and the urgency to include it in any climate legislative package.

Podcasts, outreach and climate advocacy

All of us enjoy a good podcast but podcasts can also serve as a medium for climate advocacy. Read on to know more about the newly minted cross-chapter Podcast team led by Steven Moses and their outreach efforts using the unique medium of podcasts to spread the word about climate solutions and carbon fee and dividend as a means to achieve it.

How climate change exacerbates wildfires in Colorado

Pine Gulch. Grizzly Creek. East Troublesome. Cameron Peak. Last year’s record fire season is not one we want to repeat. Yet as this is written, the western slope is in drought, record heat already has hit Colorado and the Pacific Northwest, and wildfires already burn throughout the West.

In this article, we'll talk about how climate change creates favorable conditions for wildfires. We can use this information to make our conversations and presentations relevant to our Colorado friends, neighbors, and our members of Congress.

Volunteer's creative "baseball cards" showcase carbon pricing supporters

Who supports a price on carbon? Phil Nelson — Golden CCL group leader, experienced presenter, letter-writer, and CCL lobbyist — knows the value of being able to cite the opinion of a trusted messenger to a specific audience. So he started collecting quotations from carbon pricing supporters from across the political spectrum. That collection has grown into a stack of 100 images of quotations in a format inspired by the baseball cards of his youth. Phil invites CCL volunteers to use these images on social media, in talks, and in other imaginative ways.