Enviro group attacks Ritter over carbon cap

For a politician who has put renewable energy and the environment at the center of his agenda, Gov. Bill Ritter found himself in an unusual situation Tuesday: being attacked by an environmental group.

The group WildEarth Guardians sent out a press release Tuesday dinging Ritter for not embracing a proposal by the Western Climate Initiative for a carbon emissions cap-and-trade program in the western United States.

The Western Climate Initiative is a collaborative of seven western states and four Canadian provinces that works to reduce carbon emissions in the hopes of reversing global warming and cutting dependence on foreign oil. On Tuesday, the Western Climate Initiative unveiled a framework for their cap-and-trade plan to get greenhouse gas emissions to 15 percent below 2005 levels by 2020.

Colorado, though, is only an observer to the Western Climate Initiative, not a full member, and WildEarth Guardians said Ritter needs to put his policies where his politics are.

“Sadly, while Governor Ritter has called for greenhouse gas reductions in Colorado, he’s refused to join a collaborative effort that promises to make that happen in the western United States,” Jeremy Nichols, the climate and energy program director for WildEarth Guardians, said in the release. “It’s time for Governor Ritter to get serious about reducing greenhouse gases.”

To which Ritter’s mouthpiece responded with the buttoned-down-political-spokesperson version of, Whaaaaaa?

“The governor is supportive of cap-and-trade, very supportive, but he thinks it should be done on a national level, and not on a patchwork state-by-state or even a regional basis,” Evan Dreyer said.

Ritter, Dreyer noted, spearheaded the creation of a “climate action plan” for Colorado that calls for reducing greenhouse gas emissions 20 percent by 2020 and 80 percent by 2050. Ritter is a noted advocate for renewable energy who this summer toured the Arctic with people like former President Jimmy Carter to learn more about global warming and hatch policy solutions.

Dreyer said Ritter has elected to keep Colorado as an observer to the Western Climate Initiative – even as nearby states like New Mexico, Utah and Montana have joined in as full members – because he believes more comprehensive carbon emissions regulation will be addressed on a national level by the next president. If that doesn’t happen, Dreyer said, Ritter will consider upping Colorado’s participation in the group.

Other enviro groups, while not letting Ritter off the hook, took a mellower stance on the matter.

“We’d like to see Colorado participating,” said Carrie Doyle, the executive director of Colorado Conservation Voters. “But I also think Colorado is a national leader in reducing carbon emissions.”

In his statement, WildEarth Guardians’ Nichols said Colorado can do more.

“This is a landmark announcement and shows that much of the western United States is committed to safeguarding the climate,” Nichols said. “The next step is to make sure all western states – including Colorado – join in the commitment to tackle climate change for the health and long-term prosperity of western communities. It’s time for Colorado to stop sitting on the sidelines and get in the game.”

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