Denver suburb bans new gas stations to fight climate change

A Democratic-led suburb in Colorado is doing its “obligation” to fight climate change — approving a proposed ban on all new gas stations.

The city council in Louisville — 20 miles outside Denver — voted Tuesday to set the cap at six filling stations for its 21,000 residents. A seventh would be allowed only if it’s part of a large retail center.

Any new station would also be required to include at least two charging stations for electric vehicles — and be 1,000 feet away from an existing station.

“I don’t think any single action this council or community takes is going to fix climate change,” council member Maxine Most said during the vote. “But I think it’s a really good idea to decarbonize because it sends a signal and it sends a message.”

The suburb currently has five gas stations, with a sixth approved for construction.

Louisville leaders also hope the ban persuades residents to ditch their gas vehicles for electric cars.

“Gasoline station bans may also be seen as promoting the use of Electric Vehicles (EVs), thus, reducing vehicle emissions and encouraging low-carbon and cleaner energy options for transportation,” the approved proposal reads.

The ordinance is a tamer version of a proposal from the Louisville Sustainability Advisory Board, which recommended the cap be set to five with no exception for an additional station as part of a large retailer.

Louisville’s green policies to fight climate change include meeting the entire city’s electricity needs with carbon-free sources by 2025.

Not everyone is behind the plan.

Boulder County GOP spokesman Charlie Danaher called the ordinance an “abuse of power,” saying it reflected the ego of the left-leaning city council.

“It’s the arrogance that they know better than everyone else,” Danaher told Fox News. “I do think we agree on one thing, we do have a crisis.

“But it’s not that we’re about to die as a result of climate change. It’s that we have these bureaucrats that have empowered themselves to rule over our lives.”

The Louisville ban is the latest in the nation; several municipalities in California have been installing similar restrictions since 2021.