Introduction

The need for rapid, ambitious action on climate change and inequality has never been more urgent in Colorado. Climate impacts like forest fires and extreme heat are already impacting the state, and worsening economic inequality are limiting opportunities for working class Coloradans. At the same time, the outcomes of the 2024 U.S. elections will pose serious headwinds to addressing these crises and threaten to reverse historic progress and investments in a union-built clean energy economy.
In light of these challenges, now is the time for states like Colorado to take up the mantle of climate and labor leadership. The overlapping crises of climate change and inequality cannot be solved without the leadership of union workers. Addressing the climate crisis will require an incredible transformation of Colorado’s infrastructure, whether it is building utility-scale wind and solar farms, installing geothermal heating systems, performing deep retrofits to reduce home energy use, or constructing passenger rail lines. Luckily, Colorado’s union workers possess the skills and knowledge to ensure that this construction is done well and done safely. Investing in union jobs is an essential step towards reducing inequality, and by intentionally centering workers in ambitious clean energy policy, Colorado can simultaneously reduce the state’s impact on climate change, build climate resilience, and expand opportunities for high-paying, quality union careers to all Coloradans.

Colorado has experience as a leader in climate, boasting the highest EV market share in the country, the first requirement for clean heat plans for reducing emissions from buildings, and strong recent investments in renewable energy, geothermal, public transit, circular economies, and more. But for Colorado to continue to lead at the local level, it must ensure all of these measures are fully implemented and executed in a way that protects workers and communities, especially in areas where labor has not yet been centered. This includes ensuring that renewable energy creates good union jobs, investing in the workers and communities affected by the transition away from fossil fuels, and guaranteeing that rural areas have equal access to the benefits of this transition.
This report, developed through a robust process of interviews and convenings with unions across Colorado, presents a vision for Colorado to center workers in advancing equitable clean energy policies. The recommendations in this report highlight key areas across six key economic sectors for the state to maximize emissions reductions, create high quality clean energy jobs, and guarantee strong wage and safety standards. The report outlines concrete policy recommendations; identifies wage, training, and job quality standards that need to be considered; and includes detailed estimates of the climate and employment benefits of each of these policies.


Recommendations
Energy
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1. Mandate the buildout of clean energy with strong labor standards
2. Scale geothermal electricity generation
3. Expand and modernize the grid
4. Make Colorado a leader in green hydrogen production and distribution
5. Establish an Office of Clean Energy Siting to expedite siting and strengthen community engagement for clean energy projects
6. Plug all existing orphan wells and remediate orphan well sites by 2030 under strong labor standards
Industry
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7. Position Colorado as a leader in clean energy manufacturing
8. Reach net-zero emissions from large-scale industrial processes by 2040
9. Expand Direct Air Capture to capture 440,00 Mt CO2 per year by 2030
10. Make Colorado a renewables recycling hub
Transportation
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11. Accelerate the buildout of public EV charging infrastructure to install 40,500 public chargers by 2030
12. Expand access to clean public transport and boost ridership
13. Catalyze clean freight rail development while promoting rail safety
14. Make Colorado a leader in the production and use of advanced biofuels
Buildings
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15. Establish a Carbon-Free and Healthy Schools Act
16. Expand access to Thermal Energy Networks
17. Mandate an Equitable Building Decarbonization and Jobs Act
18. Scale union-built, net-zero affordable housing
Resilience and Adaptation
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19. Develop cross-industry heat standards and regulations to protect Colorado's workforce
20. Create clean, resilient, union-built water infrastructure
21. Invest in wildfire resilience measures
Workforce Development and Quality Jobs
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22. Establish pre-apprenticeship standards and expand funding
23. Strengthen enforcement of labor standards on clean energy projects
24. Ensure a just transition for Colorado workers
25. Improve conditions for organizing
26. Labor voice: ensure that labor has decision-making representation on all climate- and energy-related boards and advisory bodies