Jared Polis on where we are in the journey

Governor talks about why geothermal and nuclear, too, and the continuing role of natural gas as Colorado tries to drive down emissions beyond 80%

U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse represents the same Boulder-dominated Congressional district represented by Jared Polis prior to his election as governor in 2018. As such, there was a compelling logic that Neguse introduced Polis at the Colorado Climate Week gathering in Boulder on April 1.

First, though, Neguse, had observations of his own to make.

“Science is under attack in ways that I think would have been implausible to us just as recently as 5, 7, or 10 years ago, and many of those battles are happening right here in Colorado and in Boulder County. I suspect there are some folks in this room that are part of the constellation of federal laboratories and cutting-edge research ecosystem that we have carefully curated and built over the last 70 years, and that is very much right now in the crosshairs.”

Neguse then called out the work of Senator Michael Bennet. “There is no person in the United States Congress who has fought harder to try to protect and defend and save NCAR,” he said, referring to the National Center for Atmospheric Research.

Of special note was the advocacy of Polis on behalf of geothermal, which has several different flavors. Put them all under the heading of “Heat Beneath our Feet” initiative in 2022 when he was chair of the Western Governors’ Association.

In his remarks, Polis also acknowledged the presence in the audience of Will Toor, the director of the Colorado Energy Office, as well as Mark Silberg, a climate and energy adviser, and Jonathan Asher, the governor’s climate resilience officer.

Big Pivots has modestly condensed his remarks.

I would say this to Senator Bennet and Phil Weiser: You’ll be able to get a lot more done on climate here in the state of Colorado, even when things are going the wrong way nationally. Of course, we know that pendulum will swing back, but here in Colorado, we haven’t let up.

We will achieve 80% renewable energy in the next four years. We worked very hard to really connect the dots in related policy areas in a way that I think leads the country and in many ways the world.

It’s about how we’re generating power, of course, how we’re getting where we want to go, but it’s also where people live, how they live, how they can get where they want to go easily and more efficiently, whether that’s walking or transit. We’ve created multiple funding streams for transit.

The public, of course, is focused on affordability of housing. There’s really a great Venn diagram between affordability, livability and sustainability. We’re really seeking that sweet spot where they all overlap. When people are able to live closer to work, where they’re able to live more efficiently rather than more and more exurban sprawl, we benefit. We benefit from a water perspective and an energy perspective, not only in terms of climate, but also downward pressure on rates.

In Colorado, if you want to commute 40 minutes each way to work because you want to have land or a horse, you’re welcome to do that. But we’ve had a lack of those opportunities to live close to work along transit and rail lines. We have worked very hard to really build that connectivity in a compelling way that speaks to people’s desire to live and afford to live in our great state. Maybe it means a family of four wants to have one car instead of two because they don’t need the two cars. Or maybe a young couple will choose not to have a car and use that extra income to patronize our restaurants and our stores and other great things. We want to give people choices.

I did an interview with Politico Environment earlier today. Their reporter said, “Should Democrats be talking about climate or about affordability?”

I said, yes, they’re really one and the same. Two of our largest industries — agriculture and outdoor tourism — are climate dependent industries. And we are feeling it. I think I only made it to the slopes once this year. We’ve never seen a winter like this. For our farmers and ranchers, especially in dry land ag in southeastern Colorado, it’s an incredibly difficult time. And so this is a real issue for real jobs and real people, and that’s why we connect the dots to how Colorado should be a leader.

It’s for affordability. Yes, it’s how we live. Yes, it’s homeowners’ insurance. Yes, it’s the ability to drive less and get where you want to go quicker and easier. It’s the ability not to have to miss your kid’s soccer game because you live closer to work. That’s priceless. That’s livability. Those are all part of sustainability and climate solutions and cleaner air for us all to breathe.

While we’ve made a lot of progress, there’s a long way to go, and we want to make sure we’re not sitting idly by while the Trump administration is cutting back and making it more difficult for states to move forward. We were proud, as Will Toor likes to brag, that we passed California as the number one state in the nation for electric vehicle sales, and we are continuing the efforts. And you know, if gas stays at $4 or $5 a gallon for a while, that’ll give EVs another boost in sales in the months and years ahead.

Our effort is really rooted in the need to better understand and meet the challenges we face, to lead with policy that we hope others can emulate across this country and across the world. And we’re taking swift, strong action to get out ahead of the challenges we face. That includes everything from drought affecting our farmers, the pine beetle outbreak coming to the Front Range over the next few years, and the record low snowpack.

I was glad that, glad that Congressman Neguse gave geothermal energy a shout out. I’m sure you’ve also talked the possibility of nuclear energy, carbon free storage. Because the truth is, in some ways, what we are doing and is underway now, to get to 80% renewable energy over the next four years, is the easier part of the 100% because what we need for that final 15% or 20% is some form of steady, firm energy or dispatchable energy.

That’s why for now natural gas is still part of that mix. We continue our plans to close down Colorado’s last coal plant by 2030 — which is being interrupted, of course, by the Trump administration. We’re working with Tri-State and Xcel to do that. But we also need to look to new technology, and whether that means nuclear, whether that means geothermal, or whether that means solar with storage, it means some of all those things.

We need to make sure that we can continue to take the high road with regard to affordability and reliability, because when it comes to trade-offs, people want to see all three. They want to see sustainability. Of course, they want to see climate action, but they also care a lot about what they’re paying. And of course, some of us have experienced the power shut-offs, we’ve experienced yet another quality of life challenge, cost of climate.

In Colorado, we are resilient. We don’t sit by idly when faced with challenges. We adapt. We always lead with innovation and collaboration, and we’re excited to continue our work, this legislation, this legislative session, here in Denver and beyond, to really build upon our leadership role in holistically looking at the suite of climate-related issues and air quality related issues. For this to be enduring, and for this to last, and for this to have public buy-in, beyond the people in this room, also speaks to affordability and livability.