Gov. Hickenlooper had a challenging day.

First there was his announcement that he’s standing up to President Trump’s decision to ease overregulation on fossil fuels for by declaring himself as the savior of Planet Colorado.

Here’s the big announcement:

Hickenlooper said Colorado has already met carbon pollution goals under the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan, which is under challenge in the courts and could be weakened or rescinded under the executive order that Trump signed Tuesday.

Then this happened:

His spokeswoman, Jacque Montgomery, said later Colorado has not yet met the goals but is on track to do so by 2030 — the deadline in the Clean Power Plan for U.S. states to cut carbon emissions 30 percent.

Yeah, about that plan.

Trump’s actions had nothing to do with that plan, which by the way is tied up in the federal courts because of its unconstitutionality in stepping all over state rights.

It won’t make a difference to Colorado if Trump cancels the plan or the courts beat him to it, because Hickenlooper imposed it all on his own and we’re certain he will let us know in 2030 whether or not it worked.

The moratorium lifted by Trump, by the way, releases coal leases from outrageous reviews. Not only do bureaucrats want studies on the actual impact of mining, they want environmental impact reviews to determine if the product, when later used, will have an effect on climate change.

It’s essentially the same tactic used by environmentalists to shut down the Colowyo Mine, and we’re glad to see this rule gone.