We’re on our way to 100,000 solar roofs

We are surrounded by clean energy options — the power of the sun, the movement of wind and waves, the heat of the earth. By using energy more efficiently and tapping our vast renewable energy resources, we can move to 100% clean energy that doesn’t pollute and never runs out.  

In 2010, we helped Colorado pass one of the most ambitious clean-energy standards in the nation — 30% renewable power by 2020. With our state on track to build 100,000 solar rooftops on homes and businesses, Colorado’s commitment to renewable energy has already brought more than $500 million in venture capital to the state.

Defending clean energy in court 

A group called the American Tradition Institute has filed a lawsuit against the state of Colorado, claiming that our mandate for 30 percent renewable energy by 2020 is unconstitutional. The group says the energy standard puts an “undue burden” on utility companies, even though XCel energy announced that it will be able to meet the new standard eight full years ahead of the deadline set by Colorado’s law.

We’re working with a coalition of environmental groups — including Earthjustice and Western Resource Advocates — to ensure that the ATI case is quickly dismissed and that we stay on the road to a clean energy future.

Wind could power our state eight times over

Despite the exciting progress we’ve made in the last few years, we’re still just scratching the surface of our clean energy potential.

  • Currently, wind farms in Colorado provide enough electricity to power 350,000 homes each year. Colorado’s windy eastern plains could harvest enough energy to power our state 8 times over. 
  • By using just 2% solar power in the San Luis Valley, concentrating solar power plants could meet half of Colorado’s electricity needs.

Unfortunately, utility companies that benefit from business as usual are fighting to keep us from moving toward a clean-energy future. But if enough people speak out, we can push past the polluters and power our lives with clean, renewable sources that don't pollute and never run out. 

Clean Energy updates

News Release | Environment Colorado

Environment Colorado Comments on the State of the Union

Last night, President Obama delivered his State of the Union Address to Congress.

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News Release | Environment Colorado

Over 100 Public Leaders, Business Owners, Local Farmers Call for Protections for Colorado’s Rivers

State Senator Lucia Guzman, Commerce City Mayor Pro Tem Dominick Moreno, Dvorak Expeditions owner Bill Dvorak, and Confluence Kayaks owner Alex Manzo joined Environment Colorado at the Colorado State Capitol to call on President Barack Obama to restore Clean Water Act protections to the Colorado River and waterways across Colorado and the country.

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News Release | Environment Colorado

Cotter Corporation to stop processing uranium in Cañon City

On December 16, 2010, Cotter Corporation announced that it will stop processing uranium at its mill in Cañon City. The announcement comes two years after Environment Colorado helped pass a law designed to force the company to clean up or shut down.

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Report | Environment Colorado Research & Policy Center

Global Warming and Extreme Weather

Patterns of extreme weather are changing in the United States, and climate science predicts that further changes are in store. Extreme weather events lead to billions of dollars in economic damage and loss of life each year. Scientists project that global warming could affect the frequency, timing, location and severity of many types of extreme weather events in the decades to come.

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Headline

Plastic bags to be banned at Aspen grocery stores

Aspen City Council on Tuesday voted 4 to 1 to ban plastic bags from the two grocery stores in town and place a 20-cent fee on paper bags.

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