Alliance members are working to achieve the Paris Agreement’s goal of keeping temperature increases below 1.5 degrees Celsius by reducing emissions, accelerating action, centering equity, and tracking progress. 

Explore Colorado's policies and actions across the Alliance's 10 key policy areas. Numbers presented below only reflect the number of policies in this database and thus may not reflect all climate policies pursued.

colorado

GHG Targets + Governance

Just Transition + Equity

Industry

Pricing Carbon + Valuing Damages

Electricity Generation

Transportation

Resilience

Natural + Working Lands

Climate Finance

Buildings

total

Executive Order D 2022 016, Concerning the Greening of State Government

Governor Polis signed Executive Order No. D 2022-016 to ensure future fleet purchases of all light-duty vehicles are EVs by default, as well as medium- and heavy-duty vehicles insofar as they are available in the market.
Executive Order amending and restating Executive Order D 2019 016 to establish new goals to reflect the State’s continued commitment to efficient and sustainable government operations and to meet and surpass the State’s goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improving indoor air quality, and reducing local pollution across Colorado.
Executive Order D 2019 016, as well as all previous Executive Orders relating to
greening government and sustainability, including D 2015 013 and D 2018 026, are hereby amended and restated by this Executive Order. This Executive Order shall remain in effect unless modified by a future Executive Order of the Governor.

The Clean Air Program (CAP) is a competitive grant program administered by CEO, with a total funding amount not to exceed $25 million over the program’s six-year duration, sunsetting June 30, 2028.

CAP will provide grants for energy efficiency improvements, renewable energy, electrification projects, methane capture projects, sustainable aviation fuel, use of low carbon hydrogen, and carbon capture at industrial facilities to achieve additional emission reductions beyond those required by regulation.

Clean Air Program (CAP) Grants

Colorado Joins the White House America the Beautiful Freshwater Challenge

Colorado joined the list of over 160 partners participating in the White House’s America the Beautiful Freshwater Challenge. The initiative sets new national goals for wetland, river, and stream reconnection, restoration, and conservation, and calls on states, territories, Tribes, local governments, businesses, and non-governmental organizations to advance their own actions in support of these shared goals.

HB24-1379: Regulate Dredge & Fill Activities in State Waters

HB24-1379 works to protect Colorado waters that are no longer federally protected. The law will create a permitting program within the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment for dredge and fill activities impacting state waters. The permitting framework is based on well-established approaches already used by the Army Corps of Engineers and will provide clarity and certainty on when a permit is needed for dredge and fill activities. Normal farming, ranching, and agricultural activities, such as plowing, farm road construction, ditch maintenance, and erosion control practices would not require a permit.

SB24-174: Sustainable Affordable Housing Assistance

SB24-174 works to identify state housing needs and strategically plan for future growth in Colorado. The act requires the Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) to conduct a statewide housing needs assessment and provide grants and technical assistance to local governments to conduct their own local or regional housing needs assessments, followed by housing action plans to address the identified needs. Additionally, it requires county and municipal master plans to include new water supply and strategic growth elements which compare the long-term costs of infill and greenfield development.

The act also requires the director of the department of local affairs to submit a statewide strategic growth report to the general assembly no later than October 31, 2025, and develop and publish, in consultation with relevant state agencies, a natural land and agricultural interjurisdictional opportunities report no later than December 31, 2025.

Executive Order D 2022 016 directs Agencies and/or Departments to:

- Purchase battery electric vehicles (BEVs) in cases where BEVs meet the Agency’s and/or Department’s operational needs and infrastructure is in place or is planned to be in place prior to vehicles arriving. Agencies and/or Departments may continue to purchase plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) in cases where PHEVs better match the operational needs or charging infrastructure is planned for installation after arrival of the vehicles.
- Ensure that EVs (BEVs and PHEVs) are the default vehicle type for all light-duty vehicles for future vehicle purchases, and if an electric model is available to the State that is the same vehicle type approved for replacement, DPA, with input from CEO, shall select the EV. In cases where an Agency and/or Department believes that the selected EV will not meet the operational need, Agencies and/or Departments may request reconsideration of the selection by DPA. DPA should consider deferring purchases for such vehicles into future years where more mission appropriate EVs may be available. Agencies and/or Departments may appeal DPA’s decision for final determination by the Governor.