"Not a Joke," Lawmakers Debate a Bill That Would Require Gas Stations to Inform of Greenhouse Gases

Colorado lawmakers spent hours on the House Floor discussing House Bill 25-1277, a bill that would require gas stations to let consumers know about the gas they are about to put into their vehicles.

Representative Stephanie Luck stood to say she was sorry that it wasn't just a bad April Fool's Day joke. Representative Ken Degraff argued that if transparency is the goal, then why not put warning labels on city buses? Another idea for an amendment to be added to the bill was a warning that the sticker or sign warning them of the greenhouse gas also states that the sticker was made with products known to cause an increase in greenhouse gases.

Another idea floated for an amendment, which was ultimately lost, was to notify taxpayers of who brought the bill, its sponsors, and possibly its supporters, such as Governor Jared Polis.

According to the fiscal note of the bill, if it passes and the Governor signs the legislation, it will take effect on July 1, 2026. The bill requires certain fuels to bear a label stating that burning the fuel releases air pollutants and greenhouse gases known to be linked to significant health impacts and global warming. The bill specifies the location and visibility requirements for the label.

According to the pre-amended text of the bill, the requirements will be as follows:

(2) (a) ON AND AFTER JULY 1, 2026, A RETAILER SHALL LABEL A 2 FUEL PRODUCT WITH THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT THAT IS CLEARLY 3 LEGIBLE, CONSPICUOUS, AND ACCESSIBLE, IN BOTH ENGLISH AND SPANISH: 4 "WARNING: USE OF THIS PRODUCT RELEASES AIR POLLUTANTS AND 5 GREENHOUSE GASES, KNOWN BY THE STATE OF COLORADO TO BE 6 LINKED TO SIGNIFICANT HEALTH IMPACTS AND GLOBAL HEATING, 7 RESPECTIVELY, PURSUANT TO SECTION 25-5-1603, C.R.S." 8 (b) IN LABELING A FUEL PRODUCT PURSUANT TO SUBSECTION (2)(a) 9 OF THIS SECTION, A RETAILER SHALL ADHERE TO THE FOLLOWING 10 REQUIREMENTS: 11 (I) FOR A FUEL PRODUCT DISTRIBUTED WITH DISPENSING 12 EQUIPMENT SUCH AS PUMPS, THE LABEL MUST: 13 (A) BE AFFIXED IN A CONSPICUOUS LOCATION ON THE DISPENSING 14 EQUIPMENT; 15 (B) BE MAINTAINED IN EXCELLENT CONDITION AND REPLACED 16 WHEN NECESSARY; AND 17 (C) INCLUDE THE STATEMENT SPECIFIED IN SUBSECTION (2)(a) OF 18 THIS SECTION PRINTED IN TYPE NO SMALLER THAN TWENTY-FOUR POINTS; 19 AND 20 (II) FOR A FUEL PRODUCT DISTRIBUTED IN A CONTAINER, THE 21 LABEL MUST: 22 (A) BE AFFIXED ON THE RETAILER'S FUEL PRODUCT DISPLAY IN A 23 CONSPICUOUS LOCATION; 24 (B) INCLUDE THE STATEMENT SPECIFIED IN SUBSECTION (2)(a) OF 25 THIS SECTION PRINTED IN TYPE NO SMALLER THAN TWENTY-FOUR POINTS; 26 AND 27 1277-51 (C) BE MAINTAINED IN EXCELLENT CONDITION AND REPLACED.

Representative Ty Winter recommended that if these stickers and notifications are to be displayed at gas pumps, they should also be placed at electric charging stations, as electricity often comes from coal-fired power plants.

Gas Stations not in compliance with the sticker signage could face a $20,000 fine.

(pictured below from the House Floor Discussion, Representative Ken DeGraff adding amendments to Sponsor Jennifer Bacon's bill)

As of this writing, the discussion is on-going. If you'd like to watch it for yourself, head to the Colorado Channel, select April 1st, and HOUSE. Or just use this link. https://coloradochannel.net/watch-meetings/#tab1