Environment
Yes, it hasn’t snowed yet in Denver. But it’s Colorado’s meager snowpack that should worry you.
Denver hasn’t seen snow in 225 days, but climatologists say they’re more concerned about the dry conditions in the high country
Suncor must make pollution cuts to meet new haze rules protecting Colorado park views
Environmental groups push for slashing air pollutants from the biggest smokestacks for EPA “regional haze” update, end up winning some, losing some.
What happens when the lure of outdoor rec starts to pull people onto tribal lands?
The Navajo Rangers program presents a microcosm of the concerns that arise around outdoor recreation on tribal lands, from cultural and ecological issues to gaps in funding
4,000 cars, one exit: Residents in growing neighborhoods worry their new neighbors could crowd wildfire escape routes
Proposed developments in Conifer and Colorado Springs have raised concern over wildfire preparedness as fires become more intense and the state continues to grow.
Colorado issues cease-and-desist order for Nederland-area mine that’s leaking heavy metals into water
Tests at the Cross and Caribou mine that drains into drinking water supplies show elevated levels of lead, cadmium and other toxic minerals, as the state threatens high fines.
Colorado voters typically reject tax hikes. There’s an exception when it comes to funding parks and trails.
Open space advocates hope the recent support for protection of outdoor spaces is not a pandemic blip but a border-to-border commitment to conservation.
Biden sets out oil, gas leasing reform, stops short of public-lands ban
Long-awaited Interior Department report recommends hiking federal royalty rates for oil and gas drilling, which have not been raised for 100 years.
As people are increasingly drawn outdoors, the risk of wildfires is rising
A study of fires in the San Juan National Forest showed that people don’t start the majority of southwest Colorado’s wildfires, but those they do ignite are near roads and hiking trails
Colorado could stuff its CO2 deep in the ground to slow climate change
Carbon sequestration may be a small piece of the greenhouse puzzle now, but underground sites show promise for cooling the planet’s future.
Xcel promises to speed closure of coal-fired Comanche 3 electric plant. Environmental groups are unsatisfied.
Comanche 3 is by far the biggest polluter in the state, but the agreement with regulators allows Xcel leeway to add natural gas powered generation -- which also has climate costs
Looking for a fast EV charge in small town Colorado? Do you want fries with that?
Entrepreneurs like Curtis Claar and his EV Trails are starting to fill in the gaps of “range anxiety” among new electric car owners by installing lightning-fast, for-profit stations in out of the way places.
Can a climate-conscious CDOT build new roads and cut greenhouse gases at the same time?
After a century of making life easier for cars and trucks, the state’s transportation agency also has the job of cutting pollution. Not everyone is on board.
Colorado has a dismal recycling rate. Could a fee on manufacturers turn things around?
Just 15% of recyclable and compostable material was diverted from landfills in Colorado in 2020.
Colorado releases more endangered ferrets into prairie dog holes and hopes for the best
Restoring stable black-footed ferret communities on the Eastern Plains has been a goal since they came back from extinction in the 1980s. Sometimes critters are reluctant to make a change.
Colorado officials hear options on how, when and where to restore gray wolves
Colorado voters last year narrowly approved a ballot initiative to reintroduce wolves on public lands in the sparsely populated Western Slope by 2023
KC Becker, former Colorado House speaker, appointed to lead regional EPA office
The Democrat was a prime sponsor of Senate Bill 181 in 2019, a measure that rewrote Colorado's oil and gas regulations.
Pilot killed while fighting wildfire near Estes Park reported turbulent conditions moments before crash
Marc Thor Olson died Tuesday night while responding to the Kruger Rock fire
Ridgway grants “rights” to its river, joining several Colorado towns in push for new water protections
The Uncompahgre may have a legal guardian in its future after a town vote, though critics of “rights of nature” resolutions call "personhood for the river" an empty gesture and a paradise for lawsuits from angry property owners.
Colorado issues tough new draft rules on Suncor to limit runoff of dangerous “forever chemicals” into water
State health officials want to crack down on benzene and regulate PFAS “forever chemicals” for the first time at Commerce City refinery.
Colorado activists want gas-fired electrical plants to stop spewing pollution over Denver
Neighbors and conservation groups seek earlier closure of Cherokee and Arapahoe power stations. They emit half the CO2 of coal, but are still among the largest polluters in the state.
