Salt Lake City and Santa Fe Join Boulder County and the City of Flagstaff to Tackle Climate Crisis Through Regional Partnership
A trailblazing partnership of local governments will soon pool resources to fund carbon dioxide removal (CDR) projects in the Four Corners region. The 4 Corners Carbon Coalition (4CCC), established by Boulder County, Colorado and the City of Flagstaff, Arizona, today welcomed Salt Lake City, Utah and Santa Fe, New Mexico. Earlier this year, Boulder County and Flagstaff invested seed funding to launch this coalition with the goal of spurring regional CDR innovation to fight climate change. The coalition will provide catalytic funding to accelerate CDR project deployment and business development.
CDR describes diverse processes, on land and at sea, that take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, and durably lock it away in geological, biological and synthetic formations for decades, centuries, or even millennia. According to the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), cutting emissions from fossil fuels is necessary, but it’s no longer sufficient to stem the worst effects of climate change.
“We’re so excited to round out the ‘Four Corners’ vision with two cities that recognize the importance of local leadership,” said Flagstaff Mayor Paul Deasy. “This collaboration gives local communities the opportunity to put our fingerprints on this emerging and necessary space of carbon dioxide removal (CDR); to hold ourselves and our partners to the highest standards; to show what community-based CDR might look like and the potential benefits of supporting vetted projects in our backyards.”
“Less than a year ago, the most devastating fire in Colorado history destroyed over 1,000 homes in our community,” said Boulder County Commissioner Matt Jones. “Boulder County knows all too well the catastrophic impacts of climate change, which is why we are thrilled to partner with other local governments to fight the climate crisis through carbon dioxide removal. The 4 Corners Carbon Coalition will take action to develop and test real world projects to address the enormous challenge we face.”
“The 4 Corners Carbon Coalition is a living example of how local governments are working together to tackle the climate crisis,” said Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall. “Over the years, we have pioneered approaches to fast-tracking renewable energy development. We’re building cleaner buildings and investing in healthy transportation. But we need to do more. Salt Lake City is thrilled to join the Coalition to support the next frontier of projects to reduce local emissions. This innovative partnership will support and bring awareness to the many ways that we can pull carbon out of the air. I’m excited to see what we can do!”
“We’re committed to saving our planet. Joining the 4 Corners Carbon Coalition is another important way we can make a difference,” said Santa Fe Mayor Alan Webber. “With our great partners, we’ll continue to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions by installing solar arrays, transitioning to electric vehicles, and practicing energy conservation. Together we’re going to address the climate crisis with the urgency it deserves.”
The 4CCC’s inaugural round of catalytic grant funding will support projects that integrate CDR with real-world concrete production in the region.
Visit www.4cornerscarbon.org for more information about the coalition and to sign up for an October 19 webinar that will provide details on the upcoming proposal request and application process.
CONTACT:
Christian Herrmann, Boulder County Climate Communications Specialist, 720-450-0059, cherrmann@bouldercounty.org
Ramon Alatorre, City of Flagstaff Climate Analyst, 928-213-2141, ramon.alatorre@flagstaffaz.gov
Sophia Nicholas, Salt Lake City Department of Sustainability, 801-574-8593, sophia.nicholas@slcgov.com
Neal Denton, City of Santa Fe Sustainability Officer, 505-955-2229, nhdenton@santafenm.gov