Like football, the legislative process can be a game of inches.  As the 2011 Colorado legislative session closes, I’m happy to write that Colorado Conservation Voters – with the help of our members, pro-conservation legislative champions, and partners in the conservation community – has moved the ball forward again.

It was a different legislature than those we’ve seen the past few years.  On many environmental issues, we were one vote shy of having a pro-conservation majority in the Colorado State House of Representatives.   This difference meant that the environmental community’s efforts were focused on protecting the gains of the past few years while being opportunistic and targeted in moving pro-active legislation.

The great news is that we had victories on many key issues:

• Anti-environment legislators introduced a slew of bills to weaken Colorado’s commitment to the New Energy Economy.  The attacks included attempts to undo our 30% renewable energy standard and remove public health, environment and community voices on the Oil & Gas Commission.  All of these anti-environmental attacks were defeated, enabling Colorado to continue to grow as a national leader in the New Energy Economy.
• In addition to defeating a backwards agenda this session, lawmakers also passed the final step to implementing Colorado’s landmark clean air effort, approving Colorado’s Regional Haze State Implementation Plan as part of the Clean Air, Clean Jobs Act.  This is a major public health and climate change victory.
• The conservation community was so effective in playing a strong game of defense that the Denver Post recognized us as one of the “winners” of this legislative session.

It is not surprising on many levels that the environment fared as well as it did this session.  A few months ago, a new poll verified what we already know – Coloradans overwhelmingly value their natural environment. Fully 87% of voters view having clean air, natural areas, and wildlife as either extremely or very important to their quality of life.  Click here to read more about the results in the State of the Rockies poll.

Of course, there is much work still to be done to protect the spectacular state we live in.  We have proven we can create jobs and grow our economy while protecting Colorado’s environment.  We will look to continue to forge a partnership with Governor Hickenlooper and key issues such as energy, water, and land conservation in the years to come.

As always, CCV will be following up in the weeks that come with more details on the environmental decisions made by individual legislators.  In the meantime, you can visit our website for information on all of the bills with environmental impact considered this year.

Finally, I would like to thank all of the people who contacted their elected officials about environmental issues these last 120 days.  Without your help, this session could have seen the reversal of too many of our victories of past years.  Thank you.