Bolder Boulder: A city’s quest to meet Kyoto when federal policies fail

Shortly after George Bush declared that the U.S. would not adopt the Kyoto Protocols, the City Council of Boulder, Colorado declared that the City would. Since then, a number of activities have taken place to achieve the aims of the Kyoto Protocols. A committee called the Boulder Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (BREEE) Working Group was formed of energy professionals, City officials, and concerned citizens. This committee developed information about current patterns of energy use and environmental pollution by sector (residential, commercial, industrial, and transportation) and began developing strategies for diminishing consumption, primarily via raising energy efficiency.

Boulder initiated programs in each of these sectors. Activities included energy audits for residential and commercial buildings and community education on a small scale. However, these efforts were hampered by a modest budget. Meanwhile, City staff, under direction from the City Council and working closely with committed Boulder residents, developed a detailed “Climate Action Plan,” the CAP. A blueprint for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, it was suggested that the CAP be funded by a tax on the consumption of electricity usage—greater consumption, higher tax. In August 2006, the City Council voted unanimously to put this measure on the November ballot, and the voters passed it by over 60 %. This marks the first time a municipality in the U.S. has passed an energy (carbon) tax to fund programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. A host of civic, business, and environmental organizations have come together over this pioneering initiative, which will raise over 5.1 million Euros for measures aimed at reducing GHG emissions 19 % (relative to 2005 figures) by 2012. Efforts to continue to reduce GHG emissions through energy efficiency and increasingly using renewable rather than fossil-fuel based energy sources will undoubtedly continue well beyond 2012.