LEGISLATIVE ACTION MATTERS! Physicians for Social Responsibility of Colorado (PSR Colorado) thanks you for taking action to protect Colorado’s public health, air quality, water supply, and climate.

Please take the simple actions below to support HB25-1268 to help Coloradans save energy and breathe cleaner air at home AND stop SB25-280, which favor corporate interests over healthy air quality and safe energy sources.

Resources for reference:
American Lung Assn. “State of the Air” report on Denver-Aurora-Greeley
Issues in the 2025 CO Legislature

Support HB25-1268 “Utility On-Bill Repayment Program Financing” to help Coloradans finance home efficiency upgrades and clean heating and cooling

HB25-1268 helps Coloradans afford emission-free heating and cooling and efficiency upgrades that reduce energy costs.

Families are struggling with rising home utility bills and 23% of Colorado households lack central air conditioning or a window unit. HB25-1268 will allow Coloradans to finance efficiency upgrades and clean, emission-free heating and cooling units - aka “heat pumps”* - on our utility bills, without applying for a loan or large up-front costs

We need affordable cooling AND a cooler climate future

Colorado is suffering from more extreme heat waves and smoke from wildfires. The American Lung Association rates Denver and Boulder’s air quality an “F” for ozone and particulates. We must protect our health with clean, cool air to breathe at home and reduce the outdoor air pollution the comes from buildings.

Click here to tell state legislators to support HB25-1268

Please call and email Senator Julie Gonzales now and ask her to support HB25-1268

303-866-4862
julie.gonzales.senate@coleg.gov

Oppose SB25-280, the “Data Center Development & Grid Modernization Act”

Oppose SB25-306, a bill that targets
Colorado’s Air Pollution Control Division for audits

 SB25-306 is promoted by corporate interests that previously pitched a “Colorado DOGE” bill forming a commission to scrutinize environmental health rules for “efficiency.”

The mission of the Air Pollution Control Division is “Protecting the health and well-being of Coloradans by enforcing the state's air pollution laws and improving the quality of the air they breathe.” We need to support this agency in its mission, not subject it to regular audits with no stated justification. 

The American Lung Association’s new “State of the Air” report ranks the Denver-Aurora-Greeley area as the 6th most polluted metro area in the US, but the audits proposed in SB25-306 could lead to weaker air quality regulation and give polluters more power.

The people of Colorado need cleaner air to breathe, not more power and influence for polluters.

Click here to tell your state legislators and Governor Polis to oppose SB25-306

Status: Next vote - Senate Floor

*What are the Health Benefits of Heat Pumps?

Heat pumps cool AND heat homes without burning methane gas (aka “natural gas”) or other fossil fuels.

Heat Pumps Improve Safety: Eliminating reliance on gas lowers the risk of fires, explosions, and hazardous air pollutants, both in production and in our homes.

Heat pumps improve indoor and outdoor air quality: Eliminating burning gas in homes reduces exposure to dangerous indoor air pollutants as well as venting of these same pollutants into neighborhoods. Heat pumps eliminate emissions of these pollutants that come from gas HVAC systems:

Nitrogen dioxide reduces lung function, especially in children, can cause asthma and aggravates respiratory diseases.

Particulate matter increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes, worsens respiratory disease including asthma, and has been associated with increased infant mortality, low birthweight and preterm births. In children, particulates have also been associated with decreased lung growth. See Reduction in fine particulate air pollution and mortality: Extended follow-up of the Harvard Six Cities study for more information.

Carbon monoxide reduces the blood’s ability to carry oxygen through the body. It causes headaches, dizziness, confusion, and is fatal at high concentrations. Unintentional carbon monoxide poisonings account for approximately 400 to 500 deaths and more than 15,000 emergency department visits in the United States annually, according to the AAP Council on Environmental Health manual, Pediatric Environmental Health, 3rd Edition.

Environmental Justice - Healthy Air Matters

Poorer communities suffer most from burning gas in homes. Generally, the smaller the home, the higher the indoor air pollution. Lack of maintenance of gas stoves, furnaces and water heaters or poor venting increase exposure. Outdoor air pollution from NO2 is greater around freeways and other industrial sites. Lack of money and programs to incentivize electric alternatives/retrofits are barriers for low-income families.

Children living in multi-family housing had higher concentrations of NO2 than those in single-family housing and respiratory symptoms were severe.

Children in homes with gas appliances suffer worse asthma symptoms causing days of missed school, missed work, more sick days, school truancy issues, and emotional, social, and mental health issues. Association of Indoor Nitrogen Dioxide Exposure with Respiratory Symptoms in Children with Asthma

Among Inner City pre-school children in Baltimore in mostly low income row homes, each 20 point increase in indoor NO2 concentration was associated with a 10% increase in the number of days of coughing and nocturnal symptoms and a 15% increase in number of days of limited speech due to wheezing. A Longitudinal Study of Indoor Nitrogen Dioxide Levels and Respiratory Symptoms in Inner-City Children with Asthma