26 local governments in the U.S., and over 900 worldwide, have declared a climate emergency. Tuesday, Basalt votes on whether to become the first place in the Roaring Fork Valley to do so.
Basalt town councillor Katie Schwoerer, who first proposed that Basalt declare a climate emergency in July, anticipates unanimous support from council on the resolution at Tuesday's meeting.
She says the federal government has left a lot of holes for local governments to fill when it comes to environmental policy and that declaring climate change a crisis is a first step.
"I know this declaration is all words, but it establishes the groundwork and the expectation that we move forward on significant action that starts to reduce our carbon footprint," she said.
Schwoerer says that could include partnerships with Eagle and Pikin Counties, as well as state and federal agencies.
The city and county of Boulder are the only other places in Colorado that have signed onto the resolution.
