Major Investors and Companies Urge Colorado to Adopt a Strong Zero Emission Vehicle Program
Influential investors and companies called on the Colorado Air Quality Control Commission today to accelerate the state’s transition to clean transportation and adopt a strong standard that would increase the number of electric vehicles (EVs) on Colorado’s roads.
The Commission is set to vote on the standard, known as the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) program, during a hearing held between Aug. 13 and Aug. 16. The ZEV program is part of California’s Advanced Clean Cars (ACC) program. If adopted, the ZEV program would require about 7% of new vehicle sales be zero-emission or plug-in electric vehicles by 2025. It also would instruct automakers to invest in marketing EVs to the general public and make a wide range of EV models available to consumers.
In a letter delivered to the Commission this week, 21 investors and companies, including Alterra Mountain Company, First Affirmative Financial Network, IKEA US and New Belgium Brewing emphasized their support for a strong ZEV program. “Cleaner, more efficient vehicles help organizations like ours cut costs, avoid the volatility of fossil fuel prices and achieve our climate goals. . . Increased deployment of EVs will be a boon to the state, through substantial cost savings and health benefits from improved air quality and greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) reductions,” they wrote.