Environment Colorado endorses Gov. Polis, AG Weiser, 5 state legislators

For Immediate Release: Monday, October 31, 2022

Contact: Ellen Montgomery, Public Lands Campaign Director,  [email protected], 773-218-1548

Environment Colorado endorses Gov. Polis, AG Weiser, 5 state legislators

DENVER – Environment Colorado announced Monday it is endorsing Gov. Jared Polis and Attorney General Phil Weiser for re-election, as well as five state legislators:  Rep. Lisa Cutter (who is now running for state Senate), and incumbent Reps. Tracey Bernett and Meg Froelich and Sens. Julie Gonzales and Faith Winter. These seven elected officials have built reputations throughout Colorado as “green” champions.

“As we watch the climate crisis worsen, with unprecedented heat and drought and dwindling snowpack and waterways, it’s crucial to keep leaders with strong environmental track records in office,” said Environment Colorado’s Public Lands Campaign Director Ellen Montgomery. “Over the past few years, Governor Polis, AG Weiser and both houses of our state legislature have passed and enacted so many policies and bills that are making life better. We should re-elect them — and vote for Representatives Bernett, Cutter and Froelich and Senators Gonzales and Winter — to improve our environment and maintain Colorado’s natural wonders. 

Gov. Polis made the environment one of his top priorities in his first term — then empowered his administration to develop cutting-edge programs. 

For example, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT)  imposed a limit on the amount of global-warming greenhouse gas emissions the transportation system can produce. Adherence to that cap has prompted large investments in public transit and the cancellation of two major highway widening projects which, history shows, tend to lead to more air pollution and traffic. 

In addition, the Colorado Energy Office devised a plan to reduce emissions enough by 2030 to help meet the state’s climate change-mitigation goals — then worked with the state legislature to pass a few dozen related bills regarding everything from electric vehicles to building codes. 

Gov. Polis also encouraged and/or supported new laws on several other environmental issues, including placing EV charging stations in every state park, limiting the use of toxic PFAS chemicals, and developing new ways of dealing with our mountain plastic problem — from rules about single-use plastics to holding product producers responsible for the plastic waste they create. 

Throughout the Polis administration, Attorney General Weiser has staunchly defended the environment, going above and beyond the efforts of other AGs across the country. Most notably, when the Trump administration chose to dilute the protections of the Clean Water Act, instead of joining the 16 other state attorneys general who submitted a broader amicus, AG Weiser submitted his own brief in support of expansive Clean Water Act protections highlighting the direct impact here in CO. When it comes to PFAS, AG Weiser launched a unique lawsuit against the companies that manufacture these toxic chemicals, citing grounds of misinformation. 

Each of the five state legislators who Environment Colorado is endorsing has a proven track record as a leader on environmental issues.

Rep. Tracey Bernett has been a key driver toward wins on two issues crucial to all Coloradans: oil and gas regulation and transitioning our state’s buildings from running on fossil fuels to clean, electric power. 

Rep. Lisa Cutter is an unabashed environmentalist who has sponsored a wide array of legislation that will positively impact Coloradans’ lives, including bills to ban single-use plastics, to hold product producers responsible for the plastic waste they create and to limit the use of PFAS. She is running for the state Senate after redistricting.

Rep. Meg Froelich is a leader on issues affecting the pollinators such as bees that play a crucial role in our food chain and environment. She has sponsored multiple bills to ban neonicotinoid pesticides that kill pollinators en masse. She has also sponsored a big energy efficiency bill and an air quality bill related to electric school buses.

Sen. Julie Gonzales has sponsored many environmental bills, including the Senate versions of the plastics ban and producers’ responsibility for the plastic they sell. She has been a leader in reducing toxic air pollution, in part by limiting highway expansion and boosting funding for transit.

Sen. Faith Winter has sponsored all of the big transportation bills that have come through the Senate. She’s an effective champion for fixing this key sector, which contributes more to global-warming emissions than any other.  

Environment America is a national network of 30 state environmental groups. Our staff work together for clean air, clean water, clean energy, wildlife and open spaces, and a livable climate. Our members across the United States put grassroots support behind our research and advocacy. 

Environment America is part of The Public Interest Network, which operates and supports organizations committed to a shared vision of a better world and a strategic approach to social change.

Environment America Action Fund works to protect our environment by supporting candidates for public office who champion clean air, clean water, wilderness preservation, and strong action to prevent global warming. The Environment America Action Fund is a part of the Environment America family of organizations.