Golden – Adding an energy surcharge to utility bills and requiring cleaner cars in the state were among a list of recommendations offered Wednesday by a special committee seeking to cut Colorado’s greenhouse gas emissions.
The Climate Action Panel comprises 34 representatives from government, industry and environmental organizations. It wrapped up 10 months of deliberations with a packet of dozens of proposals aimed at curbing the state’s impact on climate change.
Overall, the panel recommended a 20 percent reduction in emissions from 2005 levels by 2020 and an 80 percent cut by 2050.
“There’s a lot of room for reasonable actions that can be taken in Colorado to reduce greenhouse gases and to prepare for the changes,” said Stephen Saunders, president of the Rocky Mountain Climate Organization, the nonprofit organization behind the initiative.
The energy surcharge – one of several recommendations aimed at improving energy efficiency and reducing usage – would add about $10 annually to individual utility bills to generate an estimated $48 million.
The money would be used for programs such as weatherization projects for low-income families and rebates for using renewable energy.
The panel also aimed to cut carbon emissions from passenger vehicles by 10 percent through increased use of alternative fuels and urged adopting California’s tougher emissions standards to cut another 30 percent by 2016.
Other major recommendations included:
Mandating that power companies generate as much as 30 percent of their energy from renewable resources.
Reducing methane emissions at landfills by 50 percent by capturing the gas for energy or reducing its generation in the first place.
Bolstering building codes to improve energy efficiency in homes and businesses.
“All of the studies show the biggest chunk of carbon savings you can achieve is through efficiency,” said Chuck Kutscher of the Colorado Renewable Energy Society.
The recommendations chiefly target carbon dioxide – created by burning fossil fuels and the man-made greenhouse gas most responsible for warming the Earth by trapping more of the sun’s heat.
Colorado emitted an estimated 118 million metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2005, about 1.7 percent of the national total.
Electricity generation creates about 37 percent of greenhouse gases, with vehicles contributing another 23 percent.
Frank Prager, managing director of environmental policy for Xcel Energy, said the utility would have to “change its relationship with its customers” to gain support for some of the major investments in power-plant upgrades, but he didn’t rule out the proposals.
The panel enlisted about 115 participants from a variety of organizations.
Unlike efforts in Arizona and New Mexico, the Colorado panel does not have official backing from state government.
Saunders said that shouldn’t undermine the recommendations, many of which are not considered controversial and gained unanimous support on the panel. They will be shared with officials from government, utilities and industry.
“Ultimately, whether it’s a government-appointed panel or we created it, the recommendations will rise or fall based on their merit,” he said.
Some panel members were hesitant to endorse a plan that covered such a wide range of recommendations and allowed relatively little time for intensive review of the technical requirements and the feasibility of various proposals.
“These aren’t regulations,” countered Jim Spehar, a Grand Junction city councilman. “These are recommendations, and I think they’re going to inform the policy considerations of the governor and the others we forward them to.”
Staff writer Steve Lipsher can be reached at 970-513-9495 or slipsher@denverpost.com.
