Boulder will host hearing on climate crisis by congressional committee

A new congressional committee on climate change will have its first hearing outside Washington when it meets next month in Boulder.

U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse, a Lafayette Democrat who represents Boulder, said Monday that the committee, which he is a member of, will talk about clean energy transitions in the city Aug. 1.

“The state of Colorado — and the 2nd Congressional District in particular — is an epicenter for climate change research, home to both renowned research facilities at the University of Colorado Boulder and Colorado State University and federally-funded labs and facilities at the forefront of climate and environmental research,” the congressman said in a news release.

Few details about where the committee will go, and to what extent its visit will be open to the public, were released Monday. A Neguse spokesperson said the committee’s hearing will be held on the University of Colorado campus.

Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat who previously represented the Boulder area in Congress, applauded the Monday announcement. So, too, did Boulder Mayor Suzanne Jones, calling it a reflection of Colorado cities’ commitment to addressing climate change.

The U.S. House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis — nine Democrats and six Republicans — was created when Democrats took control of the House in January. Neguse is the only Colorado member of the committee, which is led by Rep. Kathy Castor, a Florida Democrat.