Ski Areas Voice Support For Emissions Caps

Monday was the last day for comment on the proposed Clean Power Plan from the EPA. The plan would cut carbon emissions from power plants by 30 percent from their 2005 levels.  According to the EPA, power plants account for a third of all greenhouse gas emissions in the US.  It’s part of a broader plan to curb global warming.

Some areas, even here on the Western Slope, are particularly vulnerable to climate change.  Places like Telluride.

"If you look at the southwest corner of Colorado, and realize that not far away from us are the flatlands of Arizona and New Mexico and the desert," says Telluride Mayor Stu Fraser,  "it's a geographic situation that when climate change takes place, we  conceivably will have shorter winters and longer summers. 

"We're fortunate in that we have a balanced economy that covers summers and winters, but we could conceivably end up having substantially shorter winters.  It would have an effect upon the economy and an effect on the community itself, the people that make a living off of tourists coming here," says Fraser.

That’s why Telluride joined several other ski towns and resorts in voicing their support for the Clean Power Plan.  It was organized by the group Snow-Riders International. 

"The goal behind the letter is to contact the EPA with signatures from a lot of supporting communities and governments about putting in place emission standards and controls as much as you possibly can, trying to cut back our greenhouse gas emissions," says Fraser.

"I'm not really sure there are many things getting resolved in Washington at this point, so I'm don't know if the letter will have any impact at all," he says, "but for us not to be part of that statement would be us just saying 'it's all solution-less and we're not concerned with it,' and we are concerned with it."

Now that the comment period is closed, the EPA will be creating a final plan.