Colorado’s Bustang has become a national transit model, but its funding is running out

March 26, 2026 | Chandler Sanchez & Matt Frommer

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By Chandler Sanchez and Matt Frommer

The Colorado Department of Transportation’s (CDOT) intercity Bustang transit service has become a rare transit success story in recent years, earning national recognition as a model for state-led transit expansion that could be replicated across the U.S. Bustang launched in 2015 to connect job centers along Colorado’s I-25 and I-70 corridors. It expanded in 2018 with the Outrider network, reaching communities from Durango to Craig to Sterling to Alamosa. In 2019, CDOT added seasonal services like Snowstang to destinations such as Estes Park, along with Pegasus, smaller shuttles connecting Denver and Vail. 

Recognizing strong demand for these services, the Colorado legislature passed Senate Bill 22-180 to fund a three-year expansion pilot and double frequency on key corridors like I-25 North and South and I-70 West. These investments align with Colorado’s goals to reduce congestion and pollution, lower transportation costs, and expand travel options beyond driving. In 2025, the CDOT Commission set a target to grow statewide transit service by 6% annually over the next decade – an 83% increase by 2037.

Bustang’s growth has been dramatic. In 2015, the West Line between Denver and Grand Junction operated just one roundtrip per day. Today, it runs 15 daily roundtrips, with departures from Denver Union Station every 45–60 minutes for much of the day. All of this could change next year as one-time federal and state Bustang funding dries up, which has prompted a conversation at CDOT about potential funding options, like toll revenue.

CDOT’s growing Bustang network

Better service grows ridership

Over the past several years, CDOT has doubled Bustang service on I-25 and tripled it on I-70. Since bottoming out in 2021 due to COVID, annual ridership has increased fivefold – from 70,400 to 353,400 riders. This stands in contrast to many transit agencies nationwide, including Denver’s Regional Transportation District (RTD), which has struggled to rebuild ridership.

Bustang ridership growth over the years (CDOT 2026)

Bustang’s secret to success is actually quite simple: frequent, reliable service attracts more riders. It turns out that the classic adage, “If you build it, they will come” is backed by data when it comes to public transit.

Bustang’s vision: An interstate bus rapid transit network

CDOT is not only increasing service but also investing in infrastructure to improve speed and reliability, effectively building a bus rapid transit (BRT)-like system along major interstate highway corridors.

A key component is the development of “mobility hubs.” Unlike traditional bus stops, these center-loading stations allow buses to remain in Express Lanes, avoiding time-consuming exits and reentry. Five hubs are expected to be complete by the end of this year, with more than a dozen planned over the next decade.

Continuous access to interstate Express Lanes allows the Bustang to bypass traffic and provide a competitive alternative to driving for the 100,000-200,000 drivers that use I-25 everyday. While drivers are at the mercy of unpredictable traffic that can easily extend a trip from Fort Collins to Denver by 30-45 minutes, Bustang’s I-25 North Line reliability delivers passengers to their destination in the Express Lane. Riders can also work, relax, and use onboard amenities like WiFi and restrooms.

This model builds on the success of RTD’s successful Flatiron Flyer on US-36 – one of the region’s most popular transit routes. The Flatiron Flyer carries about 1.3 million passengers per year, displacing 3-5% of car trips on US-36. To put it another way, it replaces over 4,000 cars per day with 172 buses, an indisputable win for congestion and pollution while also offering a more affordable transportation option for thousands of commuters. 

However, the Flatiron Flyer operates about seven times more daily service than Bustang’s I-25 North Line, despite running on a corridor with even more daily car trips and greater potential to shift drivers to transit. This underscores the need not only to maintain current Bustang service, but to expand it going forward. CDOT’s Bustang expansion scenario proposes a 5% annual increase in service miles. 

Intercity transit is a critical yet underappreciated solution to Colorado’s congestion and pollution challenges. Intercity travel accounts for only 3% of all trips, but 30% of vehicle miles traveled (VMT) in the U.S. Shifting even a small share of these longer trips to transit can significantly reduce driving and improve system efficiency. 

Bustang’s annual ridership may appear modest compared to RTD’s, but the impact per trip is much greater. RTD’s average trip is about 6 miles, while Bustang routes range from 70 to 160 miles one way, displacing roughly 12 to 26 times more VMT per trip.

Earlier this month, CDOT highlighted Bustang’s regional benefits, such as:

  • Offers low-cost transportation options: Bustang costs about $0.17 per mile, far cheaper than the $0.60–$0.85 per mile typically required to drive in Colorado.
  • Improves job access: Service along the I-25 and I-70 corridors connects workers to over 1.5 million jobs.
  • Spurs economic development: Every $1 invested in transit generates an estimated $5 in long-term economic value. For example, the $500 million investment in Denver Union Station has led to $3.5 billion in private investment, including business development and new housing.
  • Improves equity and access: This is especially important for the nearly 30% of Coloradans who can not or choose not to drive. Bustang is a lifeline to healthcare, education, employment, and other services for these individuals. 
  • Reduces air pollution: Transit helps cut emissions from the largest source of greenhouse gases and the third-largest source of human-sourced air toxins in Colorado.
  • Makes our roads safer: Transit is significantly safer than driving, particularly on challenging mountain corridors during winter conditions – with one tenth the traffic casualty rate of car travel.

Bustang’s looming fiscal cliff

With the SB22-180 Bustang pilot money drying up next year, Bustang faces a budget deficit of almost $30 million in 2027, growing to $40 million by the end of the decade. Without a new funding source, CDOT will be forced to significantly cut Bustang service below current levels. 

Bustang’s future budget shortfall if no action is taken (CDOT 2026)

One practical solution: use highway toll revenue to fund transit

The Colorado Transportation Investment Office (CTIO) is the CDOT enterprise responsible for financing and managing Colorado’s interstate toll lanes. While it was initially created to focus on highway construction, Senate Bill 24-184 updated its mission to also support transit and multimodal transportation projects. 

The majority of CTIO’s highway toll revenue is used to repay debt from Express Lane construction and fund long-term maintenance of the facilities. The agency plans to direct most of any surplus toll revenue toward completing remaining Express Lane gaps, such as I-25 North segments 3 and 4 in Adams, Broomfield, and Weld counties. Even after paying for construction and maintenance of this planned highway expansion, CTIO anticipates having $10–30 million per year available for other uses (see page 7).

Using this surplus toll revenue to fund transit makes sense – buses improve highway efficiency and reduce congestion by taking cars off the road, directly benefiting toll payers. It is essential for CTIO to fund both mobility hubs (capital expenses) and transit service (operating expenses), since the stations alone are not very useful unless the buses run frequently to move passengers.

Other states have already taken this approach to fund their transit service. Virginia’s Commuter Choice program uses toll revenue from interstate highways to fund transit and multimodal improvements on and around the corridors. For example, around 25% of I-395/95 toll revenue directly funds transit to meet program goals like “maximizing person throughput, improving mobility, supporting new and diverse travel options, and enhancing safety and reliability”. 

Similarly, Virginia’s I-66 Commuter Choice program has awarded over $200 million in the last 10 years to expand bus service, build off-corridor BRT infrastructure, expand Park N Rides, procure electric transit buses, construct first/last mile bicycle and pedestrian projects to improve transit access, and support bikeshare and other Transportation Demand Management strategies like free transit passes. 

Source: Virginia’s Commuter Choice Program

While it’s critical to fully fund and expand Bustang, highway toll revenue should also be available for non-Bustang transit service operated by local transit agencies that use the managed toll lanes and provide “feeder service” to deliver transit passengers to the Bustang mobility hubs, effectively replacing car trips on the interstates and maximizing the investment into the new managed lanes and mobility hubs. For example, CTIO revenue could be used to run more buses and support first/last mile connections from cities like Fort Collins, Loveland, Longmont, and Thornton to the new I-25 Bustang mobility hubs. Surplus revenue could also fund service for routes like RTD’s 120X and FF5, which serve local travel needs along existing toll corridors where Bustang does not currently stop.

Colorado’s program could also follow Virginia’s lead by supporting transit improvements near interstate corridors. For example, the Federal Blvd BRT project is less than two miles from I-25 North and, once fully built out, could reduce the number of drivers dependent on the interstate, increasing the corridor’s efficiency without adding additional highway lanes or worsening congestion.

CTIO has already experimented with this idea with notable success. Last year, CTIO partnered with Winter Park Resorts and Amtrak to increase rail service frequency and reduce fares on the Winter Park Express, a popular rail service running from Denver to Winter Park. The service improvements helped grow ridership by 153% in 2025, reducing traffic and out-of-state congestion on I-70 West, which is currently under construction for a new toll lane. Using some of that future toll revenue to maintain and expand Bustang service along the I-70 West corridor would produce similar benefits, alleviating congestion for drivers and expanding mobility options for those who use transit. 

Bustang has demonstrated that frequent, reliable intercity transit can reduce congestion, lower transportation costs, and expand access to jobs and services across Colorado. Ridership has grown at a time when most other transit agencies have struggled. But without a stable funding source, these gains are at risk. Colorado should provide long-term funding to sustain and grow Bustang service and deliver an affordable and connected multimodal transportation network that serves all Coloradans. 

Header photo: cpr.org/2026/03/02/colorado-bustang-success-causes-budget-deficit

March 6, 2026 | Alex Eubanks, New Mexico Representative

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New Mexico’s 2026 legislative session moved fast, and for clean energy and climate policy the results were mostly disappointing. The session’s signature climate proposal, Clear Horizons (SB18), failed on the Senate floor. Other priorities tied to affordability, grid reliability, and responsible planning for rapid load growth also fell short in the compressed timeline.

At the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP), we came into the session focused on practical policies that help New Mexico manage new electricity demand without driving up bills or backsliding on climate progress. That meant supporting Clear Horizons as a durable, statewide planning framework, pushing for basic oversight of large private power systems tied to data centers, and advancing utility modernization tools that help reduce peak demand and keep system costs in check.

New Mexico is at an inflection point: we’re facing rapid load growth and real affordability pressures at the same time we’re trying to stay on track with climate goals. This session delivered an important step forward on industrial decarbonization, but we still need to finish the job on emissions targets and the utility reforms that help manage peak demand, protect ratepayers, and keep new large loads from driving the wrong outcomes.

A meaningful win: Industrial decarbonization and low-carbon materials (HB153)

In a session with more missed opportunities than wins, one major policy did make it across the finish line. SWEEP supported Representative Meredith Dixon and coalition partners, led by the Natural Resources Defense Council, in the successful push to pass HB153, an industrial decarbonization and low-carbon materials package, which is now awaiting the Governor’s signature. 

HB153 is designed to accelerate both the supply and demand for lower-carbon construction materials by:

  • Helping projects buy low-carbon materials when cost is a barrier.
  • Expanding consistent, comparable emissions information for purchasers.
  • Supporting in-state manufacturers with tools to invest in lower-carbon production and compete in markets that increasingly require verified low-carbon materials.

Why this matters: construction materials and industrial products are a significant source of climate pollution, and procurement standards are changing quickly. HB153 helps New Mexico manufacturers and builders prepare for that reality, while supporting climate goals and economic competitiveness.

What fell short: Clear Horizons, data center safeguards, and peak-demand solutions

Clear Horizons (SB18)

Clear Horizons was the session’s signature climate proposal. It would have codified New Mexico’s statewide emissions reduction targets in statute, creating a clearer long-term framework for planning and accountability. SWEEP supported the bill alongside coalition partners, but it failed on the Senate floor.

Microgrid oversight and data center safeguards (SB235)

In addition, SWEEP joined a broad coalition supporting microgrid oversight (SB235) protections for large private power systems tied to data centers. SB235 would have put qualifying microgrids under New Mexico’s Public Regulation Commission (PRC) oversight and required them to meet a clean energy portfolio standard on the same timeline New Mexico already applies to utilities, along with annual reporting on energy generation and water use. The bill also included explicit protections to prevent utility rate increases to cover microgrid infrastructure development. SB235 passed the Senate but did not advance in the House before the session ended.

Two utility modernization bills that advanced, but did not reach final passage

Virtual power plants (HB 311)

SWEEP supported HB311 because virtual power plants can be a lower-cost reliability resource that pays customers for verified performance from technologies many households and businesses already use, such as smart thermostats, managed electric vehicle charging, and batteries. The bill cleared its first House committee, but did not advance further before adjournment.

Avoided greenhouse gas emissions in utility cost tests (HB254)

SWEEP supported HB254 to modernize how cost-effectiveness is evaluated for utility efficiency and load management programs. The bill would have allowed the PRC to incorporate the value of avoided greenhouse gas emissions into statutory cost-effectiveness tests. Developed with partners including El Paso Electric and Western Resource Advocates, HB254 passed the House unanimously but did not advance in the Senate before the session ended.

A transition moment for New Mexico policy

This was the final regular session of term-limited Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, which makes this a natural transition point for long-term policy planning. Energy policy is getting more complex, and the stakes for affordability, reliability, and emissions outcomes are getting higher as new large loads and electrification reshape the grid.

Lawmakers also advanced HJR5, a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow legislative compensation. New Mexico is currently the only state where legislators receive no base salary for their service; lawmakers receive per diem and mileage reimbursements while the Legislature is in session and for interim committee work. If voters approve HJR5, it would allow legislative compensation tied to New Mexico’s median household income. SWEEP views this as a constructive step toward professionalizing legislative service and broadening who is able to serve, which can strengthen policymaking capacity over time.

What we do next

The session ended, but the work did not. SWEEP will continue working with coalition partners, state agencies, utilities, and regulators throughout the interim to:

  • Keep New Mexico moving toward its emissions reduction goals through practical implementation and utility planning work.
  • Advance utility reforms and programs that reduce peak demand, strengthen reliability, and keep bills manageable.
  • Ensure large private power systems and data center-related infrastructure meet basic standards for transparency and consumer protection.

We look forward to working with legislators, stakeholders, and the next administration to advance durable solutions that keep bills manageable, strengthen reliability, and support responsible economic growth in the years ahead.

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Update: Since this post was published, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham vetoed HB153. The veto message says the bill’s goals remain important, but the Governor concluded the package was too rigid as drafted and directed the Environment Department to move forward this year on key pieces that can be implemented through the existing appropriation.

Colorado cities are moving fast to access state funding for infrastructure supporting affordable housing under HB24-1313.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 20, 2026

Contact:
Caroline Leland
Outreach & Organizing Manager for Housing Forward Colorado
cleland@swenergy.org | 252-450-9281

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[DENVER, CO] – Well ahead of an end-of-year deadline, four Colorado cities have met the initial requirements for Transit Oriented Communities Infrastructure (TOCI) grants, receiving more than $13 million total in the preliminary round of funding. To be eligible at this point in time, cities must be close to final certification as a “Transit Oriented Community” (TOC) under a state law called HB24-1313: Housing in Transit Oriented Communities. Cities’ quick action to become certified demonstrates this law’s positive impacts on statewide housing and land use, amidst a shortage of 106,000 homes and a fast-growing population.

In this pilot round of funding, the Department of Local Affairs awarded $13,327,830 to the following cities:

  • Denver – Broadway Station Pedestrian Bridge Project – $4,000,000
  • Fort Collins – Switchgrass Crossing Infrastructure – $792,434
  • Longmont – Downtown Transit Hub at 1st & Main – $4,000,000
  • Wheat Ridge – Ridge Road Infrastructure Project – $4,535,396

Wheat Ridge was the first city to submit a final compliance report under HB24-1313 and – pending final approval – will use its grant money for public improvements for Ridge Road, a 200-unit mixed-income housing project adjacent to the Arvada Ridge G line light rail station. The site includes a planned expansion of Red Rocks Community College’s nursing program, enabling students to live affordably near school.

“We were motivated to apply for certification early because we had heard about the TOCI grant program and we had an affordable housing project with our regional housing authority, Foothills Regional Housing,” said Wheat Ridge Senior Housing Planner Shannon Terrrell. “This grant program and project align because it’s bringing affordable housing and workforce housing near the community college and light rail infrastructure.”

“We are focused on how these laws are creating opportunities for us to implement our own policies and priorities set through our affordable housing action plan, and our goals around multimodal transportation and housing densification where it’s feasible,” said Wheat Ridge Mayor Pro Tem Rachel Hultin. “The TOC certification aligns with goals we’ve already set.”

Fort Collins anticipates receiving TOC certification by late April. The city updated its commercial corridors zoning last year to allow more mixed use and encourage more housing development. After the City Council reviewed the state law’s requirements and learned about the associated funding opportunities, it directed staff to draft updates to the city’s Land Use Code to streamline the review process for multifamily development in designated Transit Centers, and to designate four additional zones as Transit Centers. The Council is expected to approve those changes in late March or early April. Pending final certification, the city will use funding from HB24-1313 for an affordable housing project for seniors.

“We’re really excited to take advantage of the funding and use this as an opportunity to streamline some of our own processes,” said Fort Collins City Councilor Chris Conway. “It’s been a great opportunity for Fort Collins to look at some processes that needed to be changed.”

Longmont’s award will help fund a mixed-use downtown transit hub for bus rapid transit service near rail infrastructure for the future of passenger rail. 

“This grant award will help Longmont achieve the city’s long-term goal for transit-oriented development,” said Jenn Ooton, Assistant City Manager. “This transformational project helps catalyze the city’s active work to advance multiple opportunities for affordable housing projects in this general area. This grant will enable Longmont to continue making progress towards its transit, housing, and sustainability goals.”

The TOCI grant program helps close the funding gap preventing cities from building more infill housing, but it is insufficient to meet every city’s needs. HB26-1065: Transit and Housing Investment Zones is a bill introduced on January 21 of this year that takes another step further to close that gap. Housing Forward Colorado encourages proponents to testify in favor of the bill when the House Finance Committee considers it on February 23.

Colorado’s stark housing housing shortage gives it the fifth highest home prices and third highest rent in the country. Demographers expect Colorado to add another 1.5 million people by 2050, growing to a population of more than 7.5 million – with most of that growth concentrated along the Front Range. This shortage drives affordability challenges, as limited housing supply leads to intense competition and rising prices. Moreover, the lack of new housing opportunities near transit, jobs, schools, and other destinations increases pressure to sprawl into open spaces and natural lands – resulting in longer commutes, more pollution, and higher land and water consumption.

Housing Forward Colorado is working with local communities to implement solutions to these problems, ensuring that Colorado builds homes people can afford in the places they want to live.

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Housing Forward Colorado is a project of the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP), a public interest organization promoting greater energy efficiency, clean transportation, and beneficial electrification in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. In spring 2025, SWEEP launched Housing Forward Colorado to advance pro-housing and smart growth policies, and to support the effective implementation of the 2024 state land use laws.
housingforwardco.org / swenergy.org

Statement of Will Greene, Arizona Representative for the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 28, 2026

Contact:
Will Greene, Arizona Representative
wgreene@swenergy.org | 206-406-6827

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[PHOENIX, AZ] – Late last night the Phoenix City Council voted to indefinitely pause the extension of Valley Metro’s light rail system to the Capitol, choosing to re-evaluate the future of the Capitol Extension Project. The decision will take Valley Metro out of line for approximately $250 million in federal funding and will result in no new rail service to West Phoenix until the late 2030s, and likely longer. Will Greene, Arizona Representative for the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project, a non-profit organization working to save Arizonans energy and money, issued the following statement in response:

“The Council made the wrong call, choosing to indefinitely delay a project that was on the cusp of starting construction. Opportunities for a new light rail line don’t come along every day, or even every decade.

Everyone deserves access to affordable, convenient and efficient mobility options. That’s why Phoenix voters approved Proposition 104 in 2015, creating a new sales tax to help Phoenix move into the future through transformative investments in the city’s streets, buses and light rail system; a vision voters have repeatedly affirmed, including by  rejecting a ballot initiative to defund light rail in 2019.

Despite today’s setback, Phoenicians are counting on Mayor Gallego and Council Members to prioritize continued investments in rapid transit. Today’s choice to delay the Capitol Extension must result in acceleration of the delivery of other transformative bus and rail projects around the city, including for people who live in or travel to the West Valley.”

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The Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP) is a public interest organization promoting greater energy efficiency, clean transportation, and beneficial electrification in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. swenergy.org

January 23, 2026 | Jim Meyers, Building Efficiency Specialist

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I have been participating in the development of the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) since the first decade of the new millennium. I have been a member of the IECC development committees and the International Code Council (ICC) Sustainability Energy High Performance Code Action Committee.  I have weathered many challenges and code changes over these years. But the recent announcement for the ICC Board regarding the 2030 IECC represents a fundamental shift that should give every building efficiency supporter and code official pause at the complexity being added to the development and adoption of future energy codes.

The ICC Board has created a new framework that splits the IECC into two documents: a “base” IECC and an IECC Expanded (IECCX). While the idea is to provide “varied options” depending on the state, the “minimum vs. additive” strategy seems to work against the progress of the past decades on the decarbonization of buildings.

The minimum threshold: A floor or ceiling?

The newly proposed framework for 2030 designates the base IECC solely for minimum requirements, focusing heavily on initial construction costs. However, it does not seem to address the longevity of buildings, which should be measured over decades. The IECC has been the primary tool for advancing energy savings in new buildings for the past twenty years. The ICC’s decision to include innovative, high-performance measures in the Expanded document suggests that zero-energy pathways, electrification readiness, and energy savings reductions are viewed as supplementary rather than essential to modern building safety codes.

In my experience, “minimum” often becomes the default standard for developers and a fallback for jurisdictions that are hesitant to make changes to the code. If we place the most impactful energy-saving measures in a separate document, we are not only creating options but also developing a “lite” version of the code. This version may not meet the needs of municipalities and states in 2030 and beyond.

The adoption gap: A recipe for confusion

Having worked closely with state and local governments on code adoption over the years, I am concerned that this multiple code concept will bring an administrative nightmare to building departments and also builders and contractors.

  • Fragmented adoption: How will states, many of which are already cycles behind, handle two competing documents? We risk a “checkerboard” of adoption, with neighboring jurisdictions having radically different baseline requirements, complicating work for designers and contractors who cross municipal jurisdictions.
  • Enforcement ambiguity: Building departments are already stretched thin. Managing a base code alongside a separate additive IECCX creates confusion for plan reviewers and inspectors. Does a “Stretch Code” state adopt the IECCX in its entirety, or do they cherry-pick?
  • Compliance drifts: When sustainability measures are moved to an “Expanded” resource, they lose the weight of being “the code.” This invites legal challenges and political lobbying at the local level to strip away those “additive” requirements during the adoption process.

The risk to 2030 goals

The stated goal of many jurisdictions is to reach zero-energy or carbon-neutral buildings by 2030. This new framework makes that goal significantly harder to reach. By categorizing items such as electric vehicle charging infrastructure, solar-ready requirements, and high-performance envelopes as “additive,” the ICC is effectively slowing the “glide path” to zero energy.

We need a unified, future-proofing code that reflects the reality of our changing environment and the long-term lifecycle benefits of efficiency — not a bifurcated system that prioritizes short-term costs over long-term resilience. The good news: this decision is still being made, and your voice matters. Now is the moment to act. Submit your comments to the ICC on its proposed new approach to IECC code development and help steer the process toward outcomes that truly serve homeowners, builders, and communities over the long run.

SUBMIT COMMENTS

New program will help New Mexico shift to cleaner and more affordable transportation fuels

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 22, 2026

Contact:
Travis Madsen, Transportation Program Director
tmadsen@swenergy.org | 720-937-2609

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[SANTA FE, NM] – Today, the New Mexico Environmental Improvement Board voted to approve a new rule to reduce pollution from vehicles in the state. The Clean Transportation Fuel Program will help replace petroleum with renewable electricity and other clean transportation fuels over time. Decarbonizing transportation will help make New Mexico’s air cleaner and healthier to breathe and reduce the impacts of climate change. Shifting towards cleaner transportation fuels – especially electricity – will also help make life more affordable for families and help businesses control transportation costs.

The standard is the result of New Mexico House Bill 41, which the Legislature passed and Governor Lujan-Grisham signed in 2024. The program aims to reduce the carbon intensity of transportation fuels used in New Mexico by at least 20% by 2030 and 30% by 2040. The rule will generate hundreds of millions of dollars for clean transportation in New Mexico in the coming years – with benefits exceeding costs by well over $1 billion, according to analysis conducted for the New Mexico Environment Department. 

The Environmental Improvement Board completed oral deliberations today. In the coming weeks, the Board will issue a final written order, and the state will add the rule to the New Mexico Administrative Code, with an effective date of April 1, 2026. 

The Coalition for Clean Affordable Energy (CCAE) participated in the hearing before the Environmental Improvement Board, advocating to strengthen the proposed rule and ensure that New Mexicans will directly benefit.

“This program will help more New Mexicans get where they need to go, using cleaner and more affordable forms of energy,” said Travis Madsen, Transportation Program Director at the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP) and expert witness for CCAE. “By taking action, New Mexico is helping to reduce pollution and save New Mexicans money at the same time.”

“Clean fuel standards are a tool that can help states clean up vehicle pollution even when the federal government abandons its leadership on climate and public health,” said Sara Gersen, Earthjustice attorney and counsel for CCAE. “The Environmental Improvement Board adopted a program framework that it can continue strengthening to deliver more public health and economic benefits to New Mexico.” 

“The Clean Transportation Fuel Program sets up a framework that can deliver real emissions reductions and cost savings,” said Dr. Cheryl Laskowski, expert witness for CCAE. “With transparent guidance and implementation, clean fuel investments can deliver benefits for communities across New Mexico.”

“This rule will help New Mexico transition away from fossil fuels to cleaner, more efficient electricity-powered transportation, and thus reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and other pollutants harmful to human health,” said Charles de Saillan, attorney for CCAE. 

“New Mexico is making a statement by becoming the fourth state in the nation to adopt clean fuel regulations,” said Cara Lynch, attorney for CCAE. 

The final rule contains elements that will help fuel progress toward cleaner fuels and vehicles. In particular, CCAE appreciates that:

  • The rule will help New Mexicans adopt electric vehicles (EVs). It appropriately accounts for the fact that vehicles powered by electricity are more efficient than those fueled by petroleum, and that helps cut pollution. 
  • The rule is self-reinforcing: progress will fuel more progress. For example, the rule requires EV manufacturers and electric utilities to re-invest money they earn from clean fuel credit sales into transportation electrification programs, with at least 50% of the revenue targeted toward under-served communities. Some of that money will help fund discounts on EV purchases. So the more New Mexicans drive EVs, the more money will be available to support further electrification.
  • The rule will help transit agencies provide better and more affordable service for more New Mexicans. The rule enables transit agencies to generate clean fuel revenue based on the fact that when people ride a bus or a train, that takes vehicles off the road and helps reduce pollution. 
  • The rule relies on state authority; it will help keep New Mexico moving toward a cleaner transportation system even in the absence of federal leadership.

The final rule also includes several deficiencies that could reduce the potential benefits of the program in New Mexico, or reduce the effectiveness of the clean fuel credit market. For example, the final rule allows book-and-claim accounting, which could steer economic benefits toward dairy farms and biofuel refineries in other states. The Environment Department, the Environmental Improvement Board and the Legislature should carefully monitor program performance and address weaknesses that may emerge.

“While there’s a lot more work we’ll need to do to address the challenges of climate change, Governor Lujan-Grisham, the Legislature, and the New Mexico Environment Department deserve a lot of credit for leading the way forward toward a better future,” concluded Madsen. “We look forward to working with future leaders to strengthen the Clean Transportation Fuel Standard and adopt additional policies to unlock more of the vast potential to power our lives with clean, efficient, and affordable energy.”

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The Coalition for Clean Affordable Energy (CCAE) uses strategically focused political action, legal advocacy, scientific analysis, grassroots organizing, and public education and communication to advance clean energy policy and programs. ccaenm.org

The Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP) is a public interest organization promoting greater energy efficiency, clean transportation, and beneficial electrification in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. swenergy.org

Earthjustice is the premier nonprofit environmental law organization. They wield the power of law and the strength of partnership to protect people’s health, to preserve magnificent places and wildlife, to advance clean energy, and to combat climate change. earthjustice.org

Jim Meyers steps down after nearly 17 years, Robin Yochum takes the helm
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 16, 2026

Contact:
Josh Valentine, Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP)
jvalentine@swenergy.org | 303-304-7613

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[DENVER, CO] – Today, Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP) announced that the organization’s founding Buildings Program Director, Jim Meyers, will be stepping down from his position after nearly 17 years, and handing off the baton to Buildings Team colleague Robin Yochum.

“Jim is a giant in the field of building energy efficiency and a living legend here at SWEEP,” said Elise Jones, SWEEP’s Executive Director. “For nearly two decades, he has passionately and collaboratively worked to help homeowners, businesses, and building officials across the Southwest improve efficiency, save money, cut energy waste and pollution, and improve the comfort and health of the built environment. We are so grateful for his service and camaraderie over the years, and the incredible contributions he has made to SWEEP and the broader energy efficiency arena.” 

Jim joined the SWEEP team in 2009 after working in the building trade association industry, the energy performance and auditing industry, and the software industry. Since then, he has made his mark developing new model code language through International Code Council committees, helping local and state governments across the Southwest adopt updated codes, getting some of the first electric vehicle charging requirements into building codes, and helped train thousands of energy code stakeholders in building science and energy code requirements. In 2024, Jim was honored with the nation’s highest energy code award, the prestigious Jeffrey A. Johnson Award for Excellence in the Advancement of Building Energy Codes, at the National Energy Codes Conference in Sacramento. He will continue to support SWEEP’s Buildings Program in the future as a part-time consultant.

Added Jim Meyers, “It’s been an honor to be the leading force in SWEEP’s Building Program. The past 17 years have seen a significant shift in energy code and buildings in the Southwest, ranging from simple energy-efficient buildings to the most forward-thinking, future-ready buildings. This has, in turn, improved the health and affordability of homes and businesses in the region. I’m excited to pass the baton to Robin, whose vision and dedication are perfect for the next chapter.”

SWEEP also announced that Robin Yochum will be stepping into the role of SWEEP’s new Buildings Program Director. A current staff member at SWEEP, Robin brings over a decade of experience in energy efficiency to the position, including stints at the Building Performance Association and the Nevada Governor’s Office of Energy, where she led on energy code adoption, management of federal grants, and the development and implementation of high-impact building energy policies.

“While Jim’s shoes are size 13 plus to fill, I’m confident that Robin is up to the task,” said Elise. “Robin will bring both seasoned expertise and fresh eyes to SWEEP’s work and help us launch into the next chapter of our leadership on building decarbonization.”

​“I am honored to step into this role and carry forward the incredible legacy Jim has built over the last 17 years, added Robin Yochum. “He has been an invaluable mentor and friend, and I’m grateful he’ll remain a part of our journey. Having spent my career at the intersection of energy policy and practical implementation, I know how vital building efficiency is to a clean energy future. I’m thrilled to lead our team as we tackle the next generation of challenges from leveraging federal funding to advancing innovative decarbonization policies to ensure the Southwest remains a national leader in creating sustainable, healthy, and affordable communities.”

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The Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP) is a public interest organization promoting greater energy efficiency, clean transportation, and beneficial electrification in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. swenergy.org

The question before us is not about whether we will grow, but how we grow.

January 14, 2026
Caroline Leland, Housing & Smart Growth Senior Associate
Matt Frommer, Transportation & Land Use Policy Manager

This report was originally published at Housing Forward Colorado (a SWEEP project).

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Colorado is on track to add 1.5 million people by 2050, and the state already faces a housing shortage of 106,000 homes. If we don’t build enough new homes – and build them in the right places – costs will keep rising and growth will eat away at the open spaces, scenic vistas, and wildlife that make Colorado special. We have a hugely impactful choice before us: We can add more affordable homes in existing cities and towns where roads, schools, and services already exist, or we can continue sprawling outward, paving over natural and agricultural land with large, isolated single-family homes. Strategic growth, also known as smart growth, is the only path that addresses affordability and sustainability at the same time.

In this blog post, the second in a series about strategic growth in Colorado, we describe key takeaways from a Statewide Strategic Growth Report recently published by the Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA). Our first blog post in the series focused on a 2024 Colorado Energy Office study about the climate benefits of smart growth. Our next post will explore some of the policies and financing tools that impact Colorado’s growth patterns and what we can do to promote smarter growth.

The Strategic Growth Report compares a baseline “business as usual” scenario to a strategic growth scenario. On a high level, the report shows that we should prioritize infill housing in our existing developed areas rather than allowing exurban sprawl – especially when it’s dispersed, “leapfrog” development. The reasons for this are numerous: household costs, transportation impacts, energy costs, land and water conservation, infrastructure costs, wildfire risk, greenhouse gas emissions, and more.

Read the full blog post on the Housing Forward Colorado website.

READ FULL REPORT

January 7, 2026 | Josh Valentine & Travis Madsen

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Even as the Trump administration cranks up the volume on “affordability,” it is quietly moving to dismantle one of the most effective consumer protection policies in transportation: federal fuel economy standards. The latest proposal to weaken Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) rules would cost drivers billions of dollars over time, waste gasoline, and funnel more money straight to oil companies — all while ignoring what consumers actually want.

Fuel economy standards matter because transportation is already the second-largest household expense for American families, accounting for about 15% of average household spending. For lower-income households, the burden is far worse: families earning under $25,000 a year spend roughly 30% of their after-tax income on transportation, largely driven by fuel costs. Strong efficiency standards are one of the few proven tools that consistently lower those costs.

Under the Biden administration, updated CAFE standards were designed to steadily increase vehicle efficiency across cars, SUVs, pickups, and work vans. Those standards would have delivered more than $23 billion in fuel savings, reduced national gasoline consumption by nearly 70 billion gallons, and saved the average driver hundreds of dollars over the lifetime of a vehicle. Over the past 25 years alone, efficiency improvements driven by CAFE have already saved drivers more than $9,000 per vehicle compared with early-2000s models. The policy has saved consumers more than $4 trillion on fuel since it was created in 1975.

The Trump administration’s rollback would reverse that progress. Earlier in 2025, Congress effectively halted enforcement of CAFE by eliminating penalties for automakers that fail to comply. Now, the administration is proposing to weaken the standards themselves. Even if a future Congress restores enforcement, vehicles manufactured for weaker targets will stay on the road for 15-20 years, burning unnecessary fuel.

This push flies in the face of public opinion. Consumer Reports polling shows that 96% of drivers say fuel economy matters when buying a vehicle, 64% support stronger fuel-economy standards, and only 27% believe automakers actually care about lowering fuel costs. Americans across the political spectrum want vehicles that go farther on a gallon of gas, not rules that protect oil profits at the expense of household budgets.

The climate and public health consequences are just as stark. Transportation remains the largest source of climate pollution in the United States, and weaker fuel economy standards would lock in higher emissions for decades. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that the previous fuel-economy rule would have saved nearly 70 billion gallons of gasoline and prevented more than 710 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions by 2050. That pollution translates directly into dirtier air, higher asthma rates, and increased health costs — impacts that fall hardest on low-income communities and communities of color, which are already overburdened by traffic pollution. Rolling back these standards doesn’t just slow climate progress; it actively makes people sicker.

Technology to dramatically increase vehicle fuel efficiency is available and ready to go. Consider: Electric vehicles (EVs) are three-to-five times more fuel efficient than combustion vehicles, with the most popular models on the road today achieving the equivalent of well over 100 miles per gallon. That translates into serious cost savings, with fueling an EV in the Southwest comparable to gasoline at well under a dollar per gallon — cheaper than gasoline has ever been, adjusted for inflation. Combustion vehicles can also achieve higher levels of fuel efficiency. For example, Toyota Prius hybrid models get more than 50 miles per gallon, using technology that has been around for more than 25 years.

The Trump administration has argued that higher sticker prices for efficient vehicles make them a bad deal, and that relaxing rules will make vehicles cheaper. To make that argument, the administration has to ignore money people spend to fuel and maintain their vehicles and assume that vehicle manufacturers will pass any manufacturing savings onto buyers — both questionable bets.

Strong fuel economy standards have helped push automakers to invest more in technology improvements, including electrification — making efficient technologies more accessible and more affordable. Rolling back CAFE standards undercuts that momentum, slowing the transition to vehicles that are cheaper to fuel, cleaner to operate, and better aligned with what consumers say they want. 

The Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP) has long worked to defend and strengthen policies that save consumers money while cutting pollution and energy waste. Across the Southwest, we’ve supported clean transportation standards, highlighted real-world savings for drivers and fleet owners, and pushed back against efforts to roll back efficiency rules that directly benefit families, businesses, and communities. 

SWEEP will continue working alongside partners to make the case that strong, technology-neutral fuel economy standards are one of the simplest ways to save drivers money, strengthen our economy, and cut pollution. 

The administration is accepting written comments on its proposed rollback of efficiency rules through January 20, 2026. You can submit a comment here.