Luca Maes came on board as a climate policy intern in January, 2026, and he hit the ground running with the start of the legislative session. Luca’s help during the session was invaluable. He created toolkits for our top priority bills to help volunteers prepare to testify in committee hearings, and one-click letters and phone scripts for calling legislators. He was instrumental in the 350CO and coalition effort to prevent the data center incentives bill (HB26-1030) from passing, and making sure the Nixon coal plant was not extended all the way to 2040. On both of those bills, Luca and a team of other youth met with their legislators more than once down in Colorado Springs, and then came all the way from Colorado Springs to Denver on Climate Lobby Day to meet with them again. He got a great Letter to the Editor published in the Colorado Springs Gazette about the need for guardrails for data centers, and wrote a blog on our website, celebrating the passage of the Plug-In Solar bill and suggesting people contact Governor Polis to urge him to sign it. He also used his considerable writing skills to help me proofread and edit my work. Last but not least, he kept our bill tracker up to date with every new development – no small feat. Luca was really a pleasure to work with – his positive attitude, intelligence, and responsibility made him an indispensable member of our team during the legislative session. We wish Luca the best in all his future endeavors. – Heidi Leathwood, Climate Policy Analyst, 350 Colorado

More about Luca

Luca is a rising senior at Colorado College majoring in Political Science and minoring in Environmental Studies. Spending most of his childhood in the woods of rural New Hampshire, he moved to Northern California for his high school years and now lives in the Sierra Nevada foothills. In large part motivated by his love for the outdoors, he has long been passionate about climate, conservation, and environmental justice issues. His interest in politics, international relations, and environmental issues has drawn him to the environmental policy realm in recent years, and he hopes to work towards a Master’s in this field following his graduation from CC.