Guiding Principles: Climate/ Greenhouse Gas
WHEREAS Energy, climate, and economic systems are complex, changeable and interrelated, and human flourishing depends on a functional balance of the three, and
WHEREAS Energy, climate, and economic systems are complex, changeable and interrelated, and human flourishing depends on a functional balance of the three, and
WHEREAS All types of energy produce benefits and waste products, and all types present challenges when deployed at scale, and
WHEREAS Abrupt/rapid/repeated changes to energy systems policies can be destabilizing to businesses, communities, and consumers, and
WHEREAS US energy security is critical for the long-term health and safety of our nation. Energy policy creates increasing US dependence on foreign powers for critical materials, and
WHEREAS The earth has a shared atmosphere. Emissions cuts in Colorado represent only a small fraction of global emissions and can easily be offset if/when other states or nations decide to increase their use of fossil fuels, and
WHEREAS Technology and science are always changing. Scientific studies and models are a necessary part of understanding the changes underway so we can plan adaptations and mitigations, but models are by necessity simplifications of reality, based on what is understood or assumed at a point in time, and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that Club 20 believes that controlling atmospheric pollution is a responsibility shared by all states, all nations.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Club 20 supports:
- All of the above energy policy that (1) improves climate and environment outcomes in conjunction with reasonable, achievable timelines, (2) balances energy security, affordability, and reliability, and (3) provides a manageable transition path to protect the economies of our legacy energy communities.
- Energy policy that sets clear performance requirements and allows community input to guide the selection of the right solutions for the specific situation.
- Club 20 supports policies that encourage development of domestic supply chains for all energy resources, including critical minerals.
- Club 20 supports sound science that quantifies risks, benefits and uncertainties, and believes that policy makers should work to to understand what specific models and studies tell us and what they don’t tell us, to ask how they could be wrong, and to reconsider policies as technology advances and scientific consensus evolves and changes.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Club 20 opposes energy or environment regulations that (1) are not fully considered and vetted with stakeholders in affected industries and communities, (2) change from year to year [moving goalposts], or (3) are rushed to development before technologies have been proven at scale and deployment paths exist.
Adapted 04/12/2024