Access the adopted City of Rifle Energy and Resilience Action Plan (PDF).

Acceso Plan de Acción de Energía y Resiliencia Resumen Ejecutivo (PDF).

The Energy and Resilience Action Plan (ERAP) addresses the impacts of a changing climate and advances energy efficiency measures that benefit the community. Finally, it works to develop a diverse economy with quality jobs for Rifle community members, focused on local needs and providing residents options to work, live, and play in Rifle.

This planning effort launched in May of 2024 and was completed in May of 2025. It was funded through a Climate Resilience Challenge grant from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs. CLEER (Clean Energy Economy for the Region) was contracted to develop the plan.

This planning effort defines “energy” and “resilience” with the following descriptions:

• Energy: energy efficiency, renewable energy, and greenhouse gas emissions
• Resilience: adaptation to the impacts of a warming climate and creating a more diverse and vibrant economy

Goals

These three overarching goals guide the vision of the plan to ensure that it best meets the needs of the City of Rifle and the priorities identified by the stakeholder group.

1. Engage community members in energy and resilience action
2. Provide tangible and achievable recommendations for municipal operations
3. Create options to reduce emissions, improve quality of life and create economic benefits for residents.

Focus areas

The City identified four focus areas that are all related to both energy and resilience in the Rifle community. Each focus area will have its own set of strategies and corresponding action steps for the City and residents to utilize in the implementation of the plan.

1. Built environment: residential and commercial buildings and landscapes
2. Transportation: alternative fuels, city fleets, multimodal transportation
3. Municipal operations: solid waste, water and wastewater treatment, municipal facilities
4. Economic development: workforce and economic diversification

Stakeholder and public engagement 

Early in plan development, the project team compiled a list of key leaders to serve as stakeholders and to represent the various sectors of the Rifle community that impact or are impacted by energy use and resilience.

Read the Stakeholder and Public Engagement Summary (PDF).

Twenty stakeholders attended at least one of three workshops hosted in the City. These included City Council and advisory boards and commissions, educational institutions, public health and healthcare, senior and housing services, local utility providers, local nonprofits, and the business community. Their input is reflected throughout the plan, including in this section and in the strategies and action steps.

Vulnerability assessment

The assessment was built on the findings of previous planning efforts with an evaluation specific to the impacts of an increase in the prevalence of extreme weather events in the Rifle region.

Read the Vulnerability Assessment (PDF).

Our team focused specifically on extreme heat and housing as part of this assessment, as it is an area where little prior analysis has been done. Extreme heat has been identified as one of the most severe impacts of a warming climate. The completed helps inform strategies to make the Rifle community more resilient.