Bill to Include Greenhouse Gas Emissions Impact in Fiscal Notes Passes First Committee!

On Monday, Representative Emily Sirota (D-9) and I presented our bill in the House Energy and Environment Committee that would require every piece of legislation to include an analysis of the potential impact on greenhouse gas emissions.

This bill was brought to me by the passionate young members of the group Keep Colorado Green before session began. Keep Colorado Green is an environmental 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization run by Colorado’s youth. Their mission, according to their website, states

“Our generation stands the most to lose if climate change continues to worsen – and so our generation must be on the front lines of this fight. Unless we act rapidly to resolve this crisis, our children will be born to a world drastically worse than the one we inherited. We owe it to them and ourselves to do everything in our power to prevent that future.”

The intent is to create a culture of consciousness in the General Assembly regarding greenhouse gas emissions as they relate to climate change. Colorado has already seen the devastating effects of climate change with longer and more intense wildfire seasons, flooding, severe weather, and drought in the past few years. We as legislators must do everything in our power to reduce our impact on climate change to protect and preserve Colorado for generations to come. This bill is a step toward that goal.