The Colorado Public Utilities Commission will meet this Thursday to learn about greenhouse gas emissions from the natural gas industry and discuss options to lower carbon pollution.

A presentation from the Payne Institute for Public Policy at the Colorado School of Mines indicates to the commission that there is social and political pressure worldwide to reduce fossil fuel usage, and natural gas is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions.

“There is a need to better understand the role of natural gas in the energy transition,” the institute wrote. 

House Bill 1261, enacted in 2019, requires a 26% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2025 compared to 2005 levels, and a 90% reduction by 2050. Currently, the largest sources of emissions are the transportation sector, electric power generation, and oil and gas.

“As a result of the state’s actions to date, we are on a trajectory to achieving approximately half the level of emission reductions to meet the 2025 and 2030 goals,” the Colorado Energy Office and Department of Public Health and Environment indicated in a summary to the PUC.

The Thursday meeting will take place virtually from 9 a.m. to noon. The public may submit written comments through an online form, with a proceeding identifier of 20M-0439G.