Gov. Hickenlooper is rebelling against his lame-duck status by passing a controversial executive order to adopt California standards for vehicle emissions.
The problem, and there are many, is that Colorado is not California.
We don’t drive little sporty convertibles alongside the ocean, we require four-wheel drive trucks and SUVs to maneuver snowy mountain passes. So, it’s unlikely we can meet that state’s clean air standards.
Hick wants to reduce greenhouse gases by 26 percent in 2025, but measuring that success in terms of how much carbon dioxide is coming from vehicles will be tricky.
About half the planet’s greenhouse effect comes from water vapor, clouds contribute another 25 percent, and the remaining 25 percent comes from carbon dioxide.
Decades ago, vehicles were mandated to switch from carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide to reduce pollution. But we digress.
Carbon dioxide is a benign gas that every living creature emits, so good luck in measuring Colorado’s success. Perhaps Hick can issue another order mandating that everything stop growing or breathing while testing is conducted.
And then there’s just the hypocrisy of the whole thing — using electricity with fossil fuels to power zero emission vehicles.
Like California, we would be on the hook to build hundreds of charging stations for these vehicles no longer paying gas taxes.
And in addition to not paying gas taxes, those vehicle owners will probably want a tax rebate for purchasing their zero-emission, coal-fired car.
This is just one more Hickenlooper clustermuck that an incoming Republican governor will have to fix.