News

Yesterday, Governor Polis announced the Can Do Colorado Community Challenge, an extension of Can Do Colorado, which spotlights and supports innovative businesses that are finding creative ways to continue serving their customers safely, implementing teleworking, and reducing in-person interactions during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Can Do Colorado Community Challenge calls on local governments and businesses to continue finding safe and sustainable opportunities to jump start the local economy and implement these practices until a cure or vaccine is created. The state wants to continue to champion things like teleworking whenever possible; equity for essential workers; and helping communities provide safe spaces for all to walk, bike, dine, and conduct business. You can read the press release here.

The RAQC worked with numerous partners on the initiative, including the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, the Colorado Department of Local Affairs, the Colorado Department of Regulatory Affairs, the Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment, the Colorado Department of Transportation, the Colorado Energy Office, the Governor’s Office of Economic Development and International Trade, and the Denver Regional Council of Governments.

Various RAQC programs and resources to aid in this effort and improve air quality are featured in the Challenge fact sheet and on the Improve Air Quality website page.

For the 4^th year in a row, members of the Colorado Oil & Gas Association (COGA) are beginning their voluntary emission mitigation efforts, in coordination with CDPHE ozone forecasts and alerts, to help reduce summertime ozone levels in the nonattainment area. You can read the COGA press release here.

The Regional Air Quality Council (RAQC) and Colorado Energy Office (CEO) have opened the Charge Ahead Colorado application for electric vehicle (EV) and charging station funding. At this time, the RAQC has funding for both charging stations and EVs for applicants within the Denver Metro Area. CEO has funding for charging stations for applicants outside the Denver Metro Area. All charging stations are required to be networked.

An application guide, informational webinar, application and other grant resources can be found on the Charge Ahead Colorado Homepage.

As Air Quality Awareness Week came to a close, the RAQC was featured in a FOX31 news story on how the recent “stay-at-home” orders created better air quality in our region and how we can continue the momentum of decreasing pollution.

You can see the full story here.

The Charge Ahead Colorado program – an electric vehicle (EV) and infrastructure grant funding program formed in partnership by the RAQC and Colorado Energy Office – recently reached a significant milestone: funding more than 1,000 EV charging stations throughout the state. Electric vehicle adoption provides many benefits to the Denver Metro Area, including reduced harmful air pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions.

You can read a press release about the milestone here.

In recognition of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Air Quality Awareness Week (AQAW), today the RAQC’s Simple Steps. Better Air. program – in partnership with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) – joined Governor Polis in his proclamation of May 4-8, 2020, to be AQAW in Colorado.

The AQAW Proclamation encourages Coloradans to improve air quality with simple actions, including eliminating or combining car trips, teleworking, carpooling and vanpooling, taking public transportation, walking and biking, using low- or zero-emission vehicles, using electric lawn and garden tools, mowing lawns and refueling vehicles in the evening.

You can read the full proclamation here.

In an effort to keep interested stakeholders informed of current happenings with RAQC programs, partners, and air quality news and events, the RAQC created The Air Monitor quarterly e-newsletter. You can read the most current issue here. If you are interested in subscribing to the newsletter, sign up here or contact Sara Goodwin.

Today the Colorado Energy Office released the Colorado Electric Vehicle Plan 2020 at the April meeting of the Colorado Electric Vehicle Coalition.Transportation is one of the two largest sources of ozone precursors and reducing transportation emissions is a critical strategy to meet federal health-based air quality standards.

The RAQC played an important role in helping to craft this plan, along with partners at the Colorado Department of Transportation and Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment. You can find the full Colorado EV Plan 2020 here.

Complementary to the RAQC’s Charge Ahead Colorado (CAC) program, the RAQC is excited to share that Xcel Energy is offering Colorado businesses and organizations another opportunity to add electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure to their locations through their Electric Vehicle Supply Infrastructure Program. Eligible organizations can offer these EV charging stations to their own fleet vehicles and customers or to the public. This new program can help you install the electrical infrastructure needed for the EV charging stations at no cost.

See more information about the program, if your organization/company is eligible and how to apply here. The application is currently open through April 29^th, and projects will be awarded and program steps will begin in mid-May 2020. There will be a second application round open in May/June 2020.

The RAQC’s CAC program, in partnership with the Colorado Energy Office, currently offers grant funding for charging station projects. The Xcel Energy program provides a great opportunity to supplement charging station project costs in conjunction with CAC funding. This makes providing charging stations an affordable option in many settings with the significant support currently being offered. Project implementation timelines for the Xcel and RAQC programs are flexible enough to take advantage of both funding opportunities. Adoption of electric vehicles is critical to improve air quality and meet the State’s environmental goals.

To improve air quality throughout the state of Colorado, today the RAQC reopened its ALT Fuels Colorado application round to continue incentivizing the replacement and scrappage of pre-2009 vehicles with fully Electric and Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) fleet vehicles. These funds are available to all public, private, and non-profit fleets statewide within Colorado. Go to the program website for more information and to apply.