Lt. Governor Primavera & Polis Administration Meet with European Union Delegation to Discuss Colorado’s Leading Climate Action & Renewable Energy Efforts

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DENVER - Lieutenant Governor Dianne Primavera and Will Toor, Executive Director of the Colorado Energy Office and members of the Polis-Primavera administration, met with a delegation of 14 officials from the European Union (EU) today as part of a series of presentations from Colorado and the City of Denver on climate and clean energy policy and investment. The EU delegation, which also presented on climate strategy, chose to visit Colorado to strengthen ties with the state due to its national leadership role in sustainability.

"We thank this EU delegation for the opportunity to exchange ideas and provide insight into what Colorado is doing to lead the country on bold climate action and renewable energy," said Lieutenant Governor Primavera. "Taking bold climate action is a top priority for our administration, and we are well on our way toward achieving 100% renewable energy by 2040 to ensure a healthy future for future generations and support good jobs."

The delegates, who are experts in such areas as climate, energy and science, represent European Union institutions and a cross-section of European nations, including Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Hungary, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania and Sweden. These diplomats all are based in Washington, D.C., embassies.

"Colorado is proud to lead on climate action and pollution reduction; we work hard to ensure Coloradans have safe, healthy spaces to live, work, and play," said Jill Hunsaker Ryan, Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.  "We are excited to share our environmental innovations internationally in the hope that their impact can extend to communities across the globe. We need global partners to make a difference on a global scale."

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"We were honored to meet with this delegation and be part of the exchange on ideas and programs," said Will Toor, Executive Director of the Colorado Energy Office. "Colorado is leading on reducing emissions through electrification of the transportation sector, rapid transition to renewable energy, and a myriad of other policies and programs but our work can always benefit from new ideas from our counterparts in Europe and around the world."

"Colorado is inspiring the global energy transition through a top-down and bottom-up approach," said Patrick Meyers, executive director of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade. "Collaboration and the support of innovative ideas has always been part of the state's success. It is both an honor and increasingly important to continue that collaboration on an international level by sharing ideas with climate leaders from across the European Union."

"Climate change knows no geographic boundaries, so the opportunity to discuss how the EU and Colorado are taking innovative steps – from creating clean buildings to increasing sustainable transportation - is incredibly valuable," said Mercedes García Pérez, Head of Global Issues and Innovation at Delegation of the European Union to the United States. "We're grateful to Lieutenant Governor Primavera and the various state and Denver officials for sharing with us their approaches to a broad variety of climate policies."

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Presentations included an overview of the Polis-Primavera administration's innovative Greenhouse Gas Pollution Reduction Roadmap. That action-oriented plan provides a path for reaching science-based greenhouse gas emission reduction targets of 26% by 2025, 50% by 2030 and 90% by 2050, compared to 2005 levels.

Other areas covered included deep dives into clean buildings, sustainable transportation, oil and gas greenhouse emission reduction regulations, and technical advances in such areas as hydrogen and carbon capture.

Over the next two days, the EU delegation will also meet with representatives from other Colorado-based organizations and institutions, including the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, CU Boulder, the Colorado Cleantech Industries Association and the Rocky Mountain Institute.

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