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Commerce City adopts proclamation declaring climate emergency
Summary
Commerce City Council voted 6-2 to approve a proclamation declaring a climate emergency, citing concerns about increased wildfire risk, extreme weather and long‑term threats to residents' health and safety.
Commerce City Council approved a proclamation declaring a climate emergency in a 6-2 vote, with Councilmember Douglas moving the measure and Mayor Pro Tem Noble seconding.
Councilmember Chacon introduced the proclamation, citing scientific consensus on global warming and specific local vulnerabilities, including wildfire risk, hazardous rail and industrial corridors and constrained evacuation routes in parts of Commerce City. Supporters on the council said the proclamation is a policy statement that affirms the city’s intent to prioritize climate resilience and equity in future planning and operations.
Councilmember Teeter said he would vote no, asserting that federal actions (referencing a prior withdrawal from the Paris Agreement) undercut the proclamation — a position other councilmembers disputed. Mayor Douglas and Mayor Pro Tem Noble described the proclamation as a local expression of urgency and responsibility rather than an invocation of extraordinary emergency powers.
The proclamation states it is not a declaration of emergency under local emergency powers but encourages statewide and local action rooted in equity and community participation. The council approved the proclamation by roll call vote; the clerk recorded the measure as passing 6-2.
