A clean energy future is possible in Colorado

Western Resource Advocates (WRA) are the watchdogs keeping Colorado's climate progress on track as political winds shift and threaten progress.

Why it's important: Pollution from power plants, gas-powered vehicles, buildings, and homes drives climate change and threatens the health and livelihoods of our communities.

• Cutting fossil fuel use protects both people and landscapes across the West.

The strategy: The Climate Fix is WRA's regional blueprint for deep emissions cuts, launched to answer one question: How do we take large-scale, science-based action on climate change as quickly as possible?

It centers on three proven steps:

1. Retire coal and replace it with wind, solar and geothermal.
2. Modernize the power grid so clean electricity can move where it's needed.
3. Implement energy efficiency approaches so demand growth stays flat.

The goal: By 2030, WRA aims to reduce 120 million tons of emissions annually across power, transportation and building sectors — the level scientists say is needed to stabilize our environment, communities and economies

The impact (so far): In just seven years, WRA's Climate Fix has reshaped how the West generates and uses energy.

• 8,000 MW of coal plants already retired across the West.
• 91.5 million tons of regional CO₂ emissions reduced annually by 2030.
• 27,000 MW of new renewable capacity added across six states.
• $69 billion in clean energy investment across the Interior West.

How it's done: WRA works in the forums where energy decisions are made, like state legislatures and public utility commissions, driving progress where it matters most: in the rules that determine how we produce and consume energy.

• WRA turns ambitious goals into enforceable policies that shape the region's energy future by helping secure clean energy targets and commitments, advancing transportation electrification and pushing for energy efficiency.

Okay, but: Clean energy is more than an environmental policy in Colorado — it drives investment, jobs and economic resilience across the state.

WRA's Climate Fix proves that strong climate policy doesn't have to be a tradeoff between prosperity and the planet — it delivers economic returns for the larger community, too:

• Households save on energy costs.
• Communities see new income streams.
• Healthier air lowers public health expenses.

Why now: Political cycles turn while catastrophic wildfires increase and droughts intensify — without watchdogs and enforceable policies, years of progress could vanish.

The takeaway: State-level action works. When policies align with utility commitments, everyone benefits: households, businesses and the landscapes that define the West.

Join the Climate Fix and help protect Colorado's progress.