Dem-led Colorado city bans the building of new gas stations in bid to tackle climate change 

The blue city of Louisville, Colorado, will ban all new gas stations as local lawmakers say they feel an “obligation” to fight climate change.

City councilors in the city of 21,000 on Tuesday night approved a proposal to limit the number of gas stations for their constituents to just six.

A seventh station would only be allowed if a major retailer steps in, but the restriction was praised by a Louisville lawmaker who said the move was necessary to combat global warming.

“We have a duty to take all possible steps to address the changes in our climate that are plaguing our planet and directly impacting the health, well-being and livelihoods of the voters we represent in Louisville,” said council member Maxine Most. Fox news.

Local councilor Maxine Most, pictured, said she feels ‘obliged to take all possible steps’ to combat global warming

The proposal includes a flurry of climate-focused provisions designed to reduce Louisville’s emissions.

In addition to restricting filling stations in the city, new or modified stations will also be required to install at least two electric vehicle charging points.

The suburb, about 20 miles outside of Denver, currently has five gas stations, and while a sixth was recently approved for development, the resolution could make that facility its last.

The plans also include a ban on all gas stations within 300 meters of existing stations, and special use approvals for existing gas stations are required if a station closes for a year.

Ahead of the vote, Councilor Most admitted the move would not stop climate change, but said the small community should go ahead with the plan anyway.

“We must take all possible steps not to create additional fossil fuel infrastructure,” said the councilman, who is also a member of the city’s Economic Vitality Commission.

Louisville’s green policies are designed to meet several of the goals of climate change mitigation, including meeting citywide municipal electricity needs with carbon-free sources by 2025.

The community has also set goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the coming years and generate 75 percent of its residential, commercial and industrial needs from carbon-free sources by 2030.

The new proposal will make Louisville’s sixth gas station, which is still under development, its last

Louisville, Colorado was devastated by a wildfire in January 2022, prompting President Biden to visit the city to issue a call to action on climate policy

Before the gas-cutting measures had even made it through local legislature, a review by the Louisville Sustainability Advisory Board this month also recommended reducing the number to five.

Under the recently approved policy, the law’s authors believed that an impulse to introduce electric cars will entice motorists to move away from gas.

“Gas station bans can also be seen as promoting the use of electric vehicles (EVs), reducing vehicle emissions and encouraging low-carbon and cleaner energy options for transportation,” it says.

“The proposal for a limit, but not a complete ban on new gas and car service stations, is an acknowledgment that there will continue to be some demand for gas and car service stations as more EVs enter the market and petrol vehicles disappear from the market. after a while.’

Louisville’s cap on gas stations follows several other local lawmakers to ban new gas stations in the name of climate change, including in Santa Rosa, California.

The community’s push for green policies also comes a year after it was ravaged by a wildfire, an incident that prompted President Biden to visit the city to issue an urgent call for more climate action.

“The situation is a flashing code red for our nation,” Biden said, pointing to the rare winter fire that swept through the city.