The Colorado Chamber has joined the Intermountain Rural Electric Association and a broad coalition of organizations asking Governor Jared Polis to veto HB 1266, which passed in a last-minute deal in the final days of session with little time for feedback from stakeholders. The coalition sent a veto request letter last week.
The bill codifies and accelerates the emissions reduction targets set forth in the Greenhouse Gas Roadmap. What were originally flexible targets for industry to meet emissions goals will now be imposed as hard caps in this bill.
Improving our climate is a shared goal of all Coloradans and should be a collaborative effort with business and industry, lawmakers, and regulators – focusing on incentives and innovation rather than arbitrary, costly emissions caps. We believe HB 1266 is not an effective or appropriate way to achieve emissions reduction targets.
The economic impact of this bill raises serious concerns for businesses and consumers, particularly at a time when we are all still recovering from the challenges of the pandemic.
“The substantial changes made in this legislation will lead to increased electricity costs and loss of jobs- neither are optimal outcomes emerging from a devastating pandemic and will directly financially impact the bottom line of those who this bill was originally intending to help,” the letter states.
Click here to view the full letter.