Gov. Polis Signs Greening Government Executive Order

DENVER - Gov. Polis today signed an executive order focused on the state’s commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and making government operations more energy efficient and sustainable. This executive order builds on the State’s prior greening government efforts, and establishes new goals and directives for all state agencies and departments that will save taxpayer money and reduce the impact of State operations on the environment and public health. The Governor was joined by First Gentleman Marlon Reis, Kara Veitch, Executive Director of the Dept. of Personnel & Administration, Shoshanna Lew, Executive Director of the Dept. of Transportation, Rep. Lisa Cutter, (D-Evergreen), and members of the Greening Government Leadership Council.

“Our state government should lead by example in our efforts to achieve 100 percent renewable energy by 2040 and take bold climate action,” said Governor Jared Polis. “We are committed to preserving the Colorado way of life, which is why we are taking these important steps to provide services more efficiently and operate more sustainably and save taxpayer money. This is what the renewable energy future looks like: innovating, growing jobs, growing opportunity, reducing costs, and doing our part to reduce emissions.”

The executive order’s goals center around reducing greenhouse gas emissions across state government by at least 10 percent below 2014-15 levels by 2022-23. To accomplish this goal, the executive order establishes more targeted efforts in energy efficiency and energy conservation, renewable energy, and fleet management. This includes:

Reducing energy consumption per square foot by 15 percent by the end of FY 2022-2023
Increasing the percentage of renewable electricity consumed or purchased by state facilities to five percent by the end of FY 2022-2023
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions from state fleet vehicles by 15 percent by the end of FY 2022-2023

“Our public servants work tirelessly to provide valuable services to the people of Colorado,” said Kara Veitch, Executive Director of the Department of Personnel & Administration. “These dedicated professionals have the opportunity to make meaningful impacts through their day-to-day work in the way we manage our buildings and fleet as we move to a cleaner future.”

The executive order also highlights directives in the following categories:

Utility and Fleet Fuels Management
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
State Fleet Vehicle Fuel Efficiency and Zero Emission Fleet Vehicles
Agency and Department Staffing and Training Directives
Leased Facilities

"As we have taken steps to reduce our environmental footprint, we have seen efficiency benefits for our department, and employees have learned about the options available to consumers," said CDOT Executive Director Shoshana Lew. "We will continue to play a dynamic role in reducing emissions from both a policy perspective and in the most practical ways possible."

"Declining costs of wind, solar, electric vehicles and LEDs make it possible to transform our operation costs effectively," said Will Toor, Colorado Energy Office Executive Director. "State agencies will work collaboratively to deliver on these collective energy savings targets and renewable requirements, further underscoring the importance of sustainability and climate action at the state level.”

“Thank you to the Governor, for issuing this important executive order,” said Rep. Lisa Cutter. “I deeply believe in stewardship of our land and resources, and it is a privilege to be part of an administration that is leading by example. I’m proud of the work we did this legislative session on the zero waste interim committee to address these issues, and look forward to what’s next.”

Read the full executive order here.

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