Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Public Comment Opportunities

How should transportation plans address greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions? The Colorado Transportation Commission (TC) is proposing a GHG rule for transportation plans and is holding a public rulemaking hearing in Fort Collins tomorrow, September 30, to gather public feedback. You can attend in-person or virtually.

Physical Location:
Christ United Methodist Church
301 East Drake Road
Fort Collins, CO 80525
View-only Virtual Link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMavoc1YNcI&ab_channel=ColoradoDepartmentofTransportation
Date:
Thursday, September 30, 2021
Time:
2-5 pm

After tomorrow’s hearing, the TC is holding three additional hybrid (in-person and virtual) rulemaking hearings in Glenwood Springs on 10/4, Firestone on 10/5, and Durango on 10/7. Attendance at each hearing is open to all, regardless of where you live. Visit https://www.codot.gov/business/rules/proposed-rules to learn how to attend upcoming hearings.

The TC's proposed rule focuses on the transportation planning conducted by CDOT and by the five metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) in Colorado, including the NFRMPO. The rule would require CDOT and MPOs to adopt transportation plans that reduce GHG emissions by specified amounts. These plans would be assessed through modeling to determine the estimated future GHG emissions from the on-road transportation system, including planned transportation investments. If the GHG reduction levels are not met, the rule would restrict the types of projects eligible to receive certain funding sources, including some 10-year Plan funds available through CDOT and two federal funding sources available through MPOs: Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) funds and Surface Transportation Block Grant (STBG) funds.

The NFRMPO is engaging in the TC’s rulemaking process for the GHG rule and is providing comments to support development of a data-driven, feasible, and effective rule. Information from the NFRMPO on the TC’s proposed rule, including recordings of presentations provided to the NFRMPO Planning Council, are available at https://nfrmpo.org/air-quality/ghg-rulemaking/.

The TC is scheduled to consider adoption of the proposed rule at their meeting on November 18, 2021. To learn more about the proposed rule, visit https://www.codot.gov/business/rules/proposed-rules. Written public comments can be submitted to the TC through October 15, 2021, by emailing DOT_Rules@state.co.us.