On October 8th, 2025, at the Mountain Towns 2030 Climate Summit in Breckenridge, CO, 37 elected leaders from mountain communities met and pledged to work together to reduce emissions, transition to clean energy, and protect the natural environments that define their communities.
Statement from Mountain Community Elected Officials on Climate Action
“Our mountain communities are on the front lines of climate change and the resulting weather extremes – shortened winters, vanishing snowpack, escalating wildfires, worsening drought, flash floods – are direct threats to our local economies. These impacts are no longer warnings of a distant future: they are here, they are now.
For us, climate action is not a choice; it is a necessity. It is our duty to protect public health, safeguard our local economies and livelihoods, and preserve the mountains we call home. Our obligation to current and future generations compel us to lead where others have faltered.
While federal leaders delay and deny, our communities bear the burden. Their inaction leaves us no choice but to lead. Real progress must come from the ground up, by those living with the daily consequences of climate change. We are the ones most compelled to act and best positioned to move quickly.
As elected leaders of mountain communities, we’re bonded by a deep love for our natural settings and an intense responsibility to protect them. Therefore, we pledge to work together to accelerate climate solutions at the local and regional level, building a nationwide subnational movement powerful enough to drive emissions to zero.
With the proven solutions at hand, the task now is speed. We must collaborate. We will share strategies, expertise, and data; break down barriers; and leverage our collective influence to ensure every community has the resources to act with speed.
In doing so, we will not only strengthen our resilience to growing risks but also demonstrate to our residents, visitors, and the nation that the clean energy future is already here — and that mountain communities are rising together to meet this moment.”
Signed:
Jay Beckerman, Town Council Member, Breckenridge, CO
Scott Beilfuss, City Council Member, Grand Junction, CO
Hannah Berman, Town Council Member, Basalt, CO
Ian Billick, Mayor, Crested Butte, CO
Gary Brooks, Town Council Member, Avon, CO
Judith Chandler, City Council Member, Manitou Springs, CO
John Clark, Mayor, Ridgway, CO
Lauren Puckett Daniels County Commissioner, Gunnison County, CO
Muffy Davis, County Commissioner, Blaine County, ID
Ryan Dickey, City Council Member, Park City, UT
John Doyle, Mayor Pro Tem, Aspen, CO
Galena Gleason, County Commissioner, San Miguel County, CO
Geoffrey Grimmer, Town Council Member, Eagle, CO
Tamara Gulde, City Council Member, Ouray, CO
Gary Hall, Mayor, Estes Park, CO
Courtney Hamilton, City Council Member, Ketchum, ID
Jamie Henn, Town Council Member, Winter Park, CO
Jennifer Hughes, Town Council Member, Winter Park, CO
Tripp Hutchinson, City Council Member, Ketchum, ID
Francie Jacober, County Commmissioner, Pitkin County, CO
Rebecca Kaufman, Town Council Member, Winter Park, CO
Beth Lakin, Town Council Member, Ridgway, CO
Sonja Macys, County Commissioner, Routt County, CO
Megan McKenna, County Council Member, Summit County, UT
Jeanne McQueeney, County Commissioner, Eagle County, CO
Dominique Naccarato, Town Council Member, Salida, CO
Genevieve Oswald, Town Council Member, Taos, NM
Corilia Ortega, Town Council Member, Taos, NM
Kelly Owens, Mayor, Town of Breckenridge, CO
Barbara Richard, Town Council Member, Dillon, CO
Ann-Marie Sandquist, Mayor, Silverthorne, CO
Jonathan Schechter, Town Council Member, Jackson, WY
Matt Scherr, County Commissioner, Eagle County, CO
Tana Toly, Town Council Member, Park City, UT
Juanita Vero, County Commissioner, Missoula County, MT
P.T. Wood, County Commissioner, Chaffee County, CO
Erin Young, Town Council Member, Silverthorne, CO
