RMCO's Mission

We work to keep the Interior West a special place by bringing about climate action in the region, especially in our home state of Colorado, and by building support for climate action in our region and across the nation.

RMCO’s tools are information, collaboration, and advocacy. We:

• Spread the word about what climate disruption can do to us here and what we can do about it. See, for example, our reports.
• Work to reduce emissions of heat-trapping pollution. See Colorado Communities for Climate Action, originally a RMCO program and now a separate, free-standing association of local governments.
• Work to prepare for and adapt to the changes we still may face. See our program, launched with the Colorado Municipal League, the Colorado Local Resilience Project.
• Bring people together to develop solutions, build a broad consensus, and achieve lasting results. See our Colorado Climate Project.

We focus primarily on the eight-state Interior West, with a particular emphasis on our home state of Colorado. On a few issues, however, where we have particular expertise or can make a particular contribution, we address climate change and promote climate action on a national basis. Notably, see our work on climate change and national parks. Of course, national parks are more important in the Interior West than in most other regions. Consider that our part of the country is home to Glacier, Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Rocky Mountain, Mesa Verde, Arches, Canyonlands, Zion, and Grand Canyon national parks, among others. Plus, RMCO, with a president who in the Clinton Administration helped oversee the national parks, has special credibility on this issue.