An inspired movement led by local government leaders is underway in the Colorado high country providing a stunning example of “local governments as laboratories of democracy.”
In May 2017, Aspen Mayor Steve Skadron convened a group of cities and counties that were already individually working on sustainability, resiliency and climate change preparedness. His request: would leaders pledge to act on climate change, do it publicly, and join a Compact of Colorado Communities?
Eight months later this past week, that 25-member group gathered for the three-day Colorado Communities Symposium in Aurora. Over 400 local leaders and practitioners in the field attended. Those getting the most notice were the forty-five percent from local governments.
“The most exciting work in the country is going on in Colorado,” said Daniel Kreeger, Executive Director of the Association of Climate Change Officers based in South Florida who led a Panel discussion on the first day of the Symposium. He, with Colorado Compact Interim Program Manager Kristen Taddonio, had high-powered support from the Colorado Resilience and Recovery office to pull off the event.
Durango Mayor Dick White spoke from a panel of the “volatility” of “getting out of political dogma and getting to work” on the rural economies of Colorado.
On the same panel, Lieutenant Governor Donna Lynne also spoke of economics; “consumers don’t get all the right signals.” She cited the low cost of water and difficulty of crediting miles not driven. She also spoke of leadership. “I remember when it was OK to litter,” said Lynn, “the executive branch carries out the law, but it also carries out a vision.” To that, she said that it was important for Colorado “to put a stake in the ground” (referring to Governors Hickenloopers Executive Order on the topic this summer) and the importance of “bottom-up” responses to the President backing out of the Paris Climate Accord.
Lynn addressed those still trying to lead with backward-facing economic policy who are denying the adaptations necessary to address changes in the economy and the climate, by quoting Governor Hickenlooper, “What do you not like about cleaner air and cheaper energy?”
Panelist Jim Lochhead of Denver water continued the conversation about policy, “our regulations are based on the assumptions that the future can look like the past.” He went on to say, “I’m glad you said adaptation instead of sustainability because this is not about one event.”
Efforts toward “sustainability” and related endeavors have been underway at the local level for years, often tip-toeing around politics and language made toxic by relatively recent divisive rhetoric. Speaker Kristen Bertuglia, who is the Environmental Sustainability Manager for the Town of Vail, for instance, has been at her work for 10 years. She was on a panel discussing community engagement. One of the stated goals in the Town’s 2009 Sustainability Plan was to promote increased public stewardship of the town. Bertuglia addressed how the phrase “climate change” did not resonate in Vail, but that “Love Vail” (simple and corny as it may sound) did. The campaign was re-shaped around that kind locally resonating common language. Asked about Vail leaders’ recent visit to sister city Nagano, Japan, Bertuglia said, “we have a lot to learn from the best in the world, and the world leaders in sustainability are not in the United States.”
That vacuum of leadership and outright hostility to clean air & water stewardship as well as climate change by the Trump administration clearly drew local “change agents” together at the Symposium. The backdrop of federal leaders now in denial about climate change, pretending there is a debate about the science, ignoring the urgency, and busily gutting departments like the EPA; galvanized the Symposium. Tracts at the symposium included economic development, disaster planning, transportation, clean energy, and water resource planning.
Governor Hickenlooper who spoke at Lunch on January 31, advocated to being both “relentlessly pro-environment and relentlessly pro-business.” He argued that the rhetorical contradiction between these was false, and pointed to the environmental acts of the 1970s now under attack which were bi-partisan acts under the leadership of a Republican President. He made the case that in Colorado the uniting factors that drive the economy “clean air, clean water and public lands” still transcend partisanship.
To underscore his point, the Governor complimented some of the best work underway in conservative, extractive bastions like Garfield County where the town of Rifle has achieved net zero status with the highest per-capita solar production in the U.S, and sewage plants in nearby Parachute and Battlement Mesa now operate on 100% clean energy. Garfield County was recognized again later in the evening at the awards dinner for its Green House Gas Toolkit.
Governor Hickenlooper capped off talking about the recent Outdoor Recreation Summit, and about the dynamics that continue to draw talent and investment to Colorado by reminding attendees that stewardship of “clean water and clean air are a spiritual matter” and people from around the world come to our wilderness to be rejuvenated.
Former Governor, Bill Ritter who now leads the Center for the New Age Economy at Colorado State University led a second esteemed panel at the Symposium that included Former Agricultural Secretary Tom Vilsack, David Eves, President of Xcel Energy, and Mayor Skadron. Vilsack noted that while at the Department of Ag, eighty percent of farmers surveyed “would you like to have more information on climate change,” said “no:” but later in the same survey when asked if they “would like more information on how to deal with climate variability,” said “yes” 80%. So, while the partisan rhetoric may be divisive on “climate change,” the work being done on the ground does not reveal such boundaries, though navigating the minefield of newly politicized words presents challenges, to say the least.
Governor Ritter said, “there is no way you can look at the federal level and not notice how much climate change policy has changed from Obama to Trump. It was perhaps the top issue of the past 4 years of the Obama administration to last night at the State of the Union when it was mentioned not once. So, addressing climate change at a sub-national level is where policy has to go.” Both Governor Vilsack and Hickenlooper used the example of the 8 current western governors, 6 of whom are Republicans, all of whom were unanimous in backing an initiative to build an electric vehicle network across the West. He noted that Governors are managers and have to be more pragmatic than their counterparts in D.C.
Panelist, David Eves, President of Xcel energy company spoke of a phased plan to “retire coal” in coming years from Xcel. He said, “my most pleasant surprise (about clean energy) has been the economics. Our customer bills have dropped 9% since 2013 while we have closed three coal plants. We looked at a 2% surcharge for renewables first but found it was not necessary. We will have 65% of our portfolio in clean energy by 2020. “I don’t think certain projects would be moving forward without the support of so many communities that have engaged.” He noted that the movement away from coal is a business decision that is unpopular in parts of the state where market shifts have not been embraced, places that would likely scorn a movement begun in Aspen.
Mayor Skadron said, “yes, it is easy to roll your eyes and say in Aspen they can afford anything,” and yes, he notes “I was invited to the Paris Accords by Mayor Bloomberg,” to an event called “climate action for local leaders.” He points out that Aspen, though well known, is still a town of 1,600 residents, where ideas are larger than the place.
In closing out the first day, Brad Udall of Colorado State University stated what many in the room already knew, “a year ago this idea was floating around in Aspen Mayor Steve Skadrons’ mind.” Skadron had already noted about returning from his European trip, “I left that day understanding that urgency and collaboration happen locally, and I envisioned taking the international compact of mayors on climate and scaling it for Colorado so local actions in Colorado can be an example.”
It appears his vision is an early success, and just in time. On day two at lunch, Denver Mayor Hancock then Senator Michael Bennett addressed the backdrop of the Presidents’ State of the Union. Mayor Hancock talked about Denver’s initiative to reduce emissions by 80% by 2015. Then Hancock took off the gloves, “I want to address the elephant in the room. We believe in science in Denver.” He paused there to much applause, and continued, “On Tuesday we heard our President say, “Coal is our future.” We all know he couldn’t be more wrong.”
Senator Bennett, clearly happy to be in the room, said, “I am very encouraged by what I see going on across Colorado. Every time I go back to DC it makes me feel dismal about our prospects. That is why I am going to spend the afternoon here in Colorado.”
Bennett said there were, “all kinds of forces at work” nationally, and went on to connect the Citizens United decision with the election results, making a direct line to the current policy which helps big money, but damages citizens. He said, “Coloradoans don’t want all that money floating around in our elections.” When an audience member acknowledged the challenge of making progress nationally by summing up Benetts description of D.C. as “a dumpster fire” in her question, Bennet agreed and replied, “If we are stupid enough to not do what the rest of the world is waking up to, we will not produce the jobs that we should.”
Most of the Symposium was much more technically focused and not so dramatic after the speeches quoted above. There was a sense that Senator Bennett, Mayor Hancock, and state leaders
came to the Symposium to encourage, but also to be reminded themselves that our system of governance can work.
For those observing, it came as no surprise that the best work going on, and collaboration without rancor is happening in Colorado on the local level, and happening in the mountains where for now, anxiety about a scarcity of snow and water may supersede anxiety about the election year that has only just begun.
