Reports

Report | Environment Colorado

Trashing Our Treasures

National parks, forests and public lands are essential for maintaining healthy ecosystems, safeguarding our waterways, cleaning up the air we breathe, protecting wildlife habitat, and providing opportunities to connect with the outdoors. Recreation and tourism on public lands drives a 10$ billion outdoor industry in Colorado that supports over 100,000 local jobs. This report showcases treasured places across the country at risk of resource exploitation and development if attacks on our public lands are signed into law. Many of the places profiled in this report are ecologically sensitive, pristine areas; all are beloved state treasures that provide extensive recreational opportunities.

Nevertheless, Representatives Tipton, Coffman and Lamborn and support bills that put our wilderness at risk.

Report | Environment Colorado Research and Policy Center

"When It Rains, It Pours"

Global warming is happening now and its effects are being felt in the United States and around the world. Among the expected consequences of global warming is an increase in the heaviest rain and snow storms, fueled by increased evaporation and the ability of a warmer atmosphere to hold more moisture.

Extreme downpours are now happening 25 percent more often in Colorado and 30 percent more often nationwide than in 1948. In other words, large rain or snowstorms that happened once every 12 months, on average, in the middle of the 20th century now happen every nine to ten months in Colorado and across the country.

Report | Environment Colorado Research & Policy Center & Partners

A Success Story for Homes and Businesses in Colorado Serviced by Xcel Energy and Black Hills Energy

House Bill 07-1037, passed by the legislature in 2007, directed the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to establish energy savings goals for investor-owned electric and gas utilities. The bill also directed the PUC to provide utilities with the opportunity to earn a profit from implementing cost-effective energy efficiency programs for their customers.

Report | Environment Colorado Research & Policy Center

Summer on the Road: Going Farther on a Gallon of Gas

As summer approaches, the dangers of our continued dependence on oil are apparent everywhere we look. In 2012, we have already experienced the hottest average temperatures ever recorded through April in the United States. At the same time, increasing evidence is still coming forth of long-lasting harm from the BP oil spill, and other tragic spills have occurred in waterways throughout the country since.

Report | Environment Colorado Research & Policy Center

Wasting Our Waterways 2012

Industrial facilities continue to dump millions of pounds of toxic chemicals into America’s rivers, streams, lakes and ocean waters each year—threatening both the environment and human health. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), pollution from industrial facilities is responsible for threatening or fouling water quality in more than 14,000 miles of rivers and streams, more than 220,000 acres of lakes, ponds and estuaries nationwide.

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