Recently Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper and 4 other Governors declared their commitment to Clean Air and Clean Water, despite the Trump Administration’s efforts to roll back federal protections. One way we do so is by adopting a low emission vehicle and zero emission vehicle standard for the state. Join us in supporting Clean Air for Colorado!
Read the full text below, and posted on colorado.gov:
“November 1, 2018
GOVERNORS COMMIT TO PROTECT
CLEAN AIR AND CLEAN WATER
We, the undersigned states, affirm our commitment to adopt the strong environmental standards
of the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act to protect human health and the environment in
our states, regardless of changes at the federal level that might weaken protections of air and
water quality. We commit to utilizing sound, peer-reviewed environmental science, and, as
science advances beyond its current state, we commit to aligning state standards with the best
available science.
For over a generation, Americans have enjoyed the protection of these signature environmental
laws. Through science and research, we have learned more about how the health of the
environment affects the health of people, particularly children and the elderly. Since the 1970s,
clean air and clean water standards have advanced to reflect the science and protect people. For
the first time in history, these standards are being rolled back at the federal level, and we now
face threats to the basic underpinnings of the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act themselves.
The federal Clean Air and Water Acts currently work under a model of “cooperative federalism”
wherein the states can adopt standards that are more protective than federal standards. Federal
and state courts have upheld state standards where they are more protective than federal
regulations.
Each of our states has a unique administrative and regulatory structure established to protect
clean air and clean water, but we share a commitment to science-based standards that protect
human health and the environment. As governors, we pledge to be diligent environmental
stewards of our natural resources to ensure that current and future generations can enjoy the
bounty of clean air, clean water and the highest quality of life.”