Harmful air high quality is Denver’s new summertime regular, setting an ominous new file of 65 Ozone Alert Days between June and August. Whereas worsening wildfires principally past Colorado’s management — together with oil and fuel drilling — typically are blamed for our poisonous air, a serious perpetrator for this problem is the hazardous air air pollution pouring from automobiles and vehicles.

Research shows fossil fuels burned by automobiles and vehicles is making Colorado’s air worse. So, we should lower tailpipe air pollution for Denver — and all of Colorado — to breathe cleaner air. Fortuitously, options to curb this air pollution can be found if Gov. Jared Polis, our state authorities, and the Common Meeting act now.
In 2019, Colorado set nationally-leading targets of 50% greenhouse-gas emissions reductions by 2030, and 90% by 2050, turning into the primary oil- and gas-producing state past California to place such reductions into state regulation. In 2021, the Polis administration launched a Greenhouse Gas Pollution Reduction Roadmap to attain the objectives.
However slicing transportation emissions is the place the rubber meets the street. As Colorado Vitality Workplace Director Will Toor instructed the state Air High quality Management Fee on September 17, lowering transportation emissions is the “most complex” piece of Colorado’s local weather puzzle.
The Colorado Electric Vehicle Plan has set a goal of 940,000 electrical automobiles statewide by 2030, however with just below 41,000 on our roads right this moment, the duty appears daunting. And whereas the Colorado Division of Transportation is proposing new rules to chop transportation emissions, the present draft falls wanting Gov. Polis’ personal Local weather Roadmap objectives. And the foundations additionally ought to tackle environmental justice concerns by directing clear investments into disproportionately impacted communities to cut back air pollution.
The Local weather Roadmap recommends accelerating the shift to electrical automobiles whereas slicing “car miles traveled” by altering transportation and land-use planning, but it surely doesn’t carry the ability of regulation. So how will we attain this clear transportation future?
Transportation emissions maintain rising as extra gasoline- and diesel-powered automobiles get on our roads, so Colorado ought to prioritize insurance policies that speed up car electrification whereas investing in public transit and different non-driving choices.
Independent modeling by Energy Innovation and Boulder-based RMI reveals current state insurance policies corresponding to electric-vehicle tax credit and partnerships to construct charging stations merely aren’t ample to satisfy our state’s emission-reduction objectives.
An vital first step for Colorado is rising the stringency of its zero-emission car insurance policies. In 2019 state policymakers joined 14 different states and Washington, D.C., in adopting zero-emission car necessities for light-duty automobiles. Since then, California set a purpose of 100% zero-emission automobiles by 2035 en path to a clear, electrified transportation future. Colorado ought to forge forward by passing our personal robust gross sales targets for zero-emission automobiles, and adopting a complicated clean-trucks coverage to impress massive diesel vehicles and tractor trailers.
The Vitality Innovation-RMI modeling reveals a powerful electrical car gross sales commonplace is the best strategy to scale back transportation emissions, and we must always guarantee this coverage doesn’t go away lower-income households behind. Our leaders ought to carve out electrical car and charging infrastructure incentives for these households, and increase incentives to cowl used electrical automobiles, as proposed within the federal reconciliation invoice.
Colorado additionally should prioritize options to passenger-car journey by means of insurance policies enabling folks to make use of public transit, stroll, and bike. Rising public transit expands inexpensive transportation choices and might present much-needed reduction from native air air pollution in frontline communities situated closest to highways. The Vitality Innovation-RMI modeling discovered insurance policies corresponding to these might lower passenger-car journey, and its corresponding air pollution, 20 % by 2050.
Third, whereas Gov. Polis’ Local weather Roadmap targets lowering statewide vehicle-miles traveled by 10% by 2030, the proposed CDOT rule doesn’t embrace that focus on, regardless of forecasts that such a goal might ship $40 billion in financial advantages by 2050. Incorporating the governor’s goal into the state’s official transportation coverage, then including insurance policies to cut back vehicle-miles traveled, is a commonsense transfer that can profit all Coloradans.
Whereas Colorado can’t single-handedly stop wildfires burning throughout the Western U.S. from clouding our skies, we are able to maintain transportation air pollution from choking our air by switching to electrical automobiles and giving Coloradans extra non-driving transportation choices to cut back the miles we drive.
What we are able to management, we should. We would like youngsters to have the ability to play outdoors with out harming their well being. As local weather advocates with many years of expertise, we all know slicing tailpipe emissions strengthens our economic system and advantages shoppers’ pocketbooks. As Coloradans who vote, we urge our elected officers to behave now and clear our air.
Decarbonizing transportation is essential to hitting the state’s personal emissions discount targets. Gov. Polis, our state public well being and transportation businesses, and the Common Meeting should speed up their efforts. Our air might be cleaner and our economic system might be stronger for it.
Jessica Goad, of Lakewood, is deputy director of Conservation Colorado. Silvio Marcacci, of Denver, is communications director for Energy Innovation.
