FAIRPLAY — Joe Harrington unfurls the map of the mine he owns, a once notorious source of toxic cadmium and zinc tainting water in the South Platte River basin. He traces his finger along a 20-mile fault line, an underground wall of clay known as the London Fault that runs through the London Mine’s maze […]
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Posted inEnvironment, News, Politics and Government
Denver, northern Colorado fall short on EPA clean air rules
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says Denver and parts of northern Colorado failed to meet ozone pollution standards, and it will direct the state to come up with a new plan to clean up the air. The EPA announced Thursday it plans to downgrade the area’s status from moderate to serious. The classifications refer to […]
Posted inOutdoors
Colorado Springs’ downtown creek has long been viewed as a blight. Then one man started catching trout in it.
COLORADO SPRINGS — Past the homeless camps, plastic bottles filled with urine, funky smells and a coal-fired power plant, Alan Peak stepped into Fountain Creek and cast his fishing line into water so murky it gives transients on the nearby bank cause for concern. After a few wiggles in and out of the fast-moving stream […]
Posted inBusiness, Environment, News, Politics and Government
A voluntary effort to speed up the availability of electric vehicles in Colorado has come unplugged
Automakers hoped they could convince Colorado not to adopt controversial zero-emission vehicle standards by volunteering to make more electric-vehicle models available in the state more quickly. But the negotiations have hit a dead end, state officials said Tuesday. “It wasn’t a matter of discussions falling apart, but discussions falling into a different place,” said Shoshana […]
Posted inBusiness, Energy, Environment, Growth, News, Politics and Government, Technology
Colorado is overhauling climate goals with an eye on scrubbing carbon from its electricity
Colorado energy policy is undergoing a major overhaul with four transformative bills working their way through the legislature and the state’s Public Utilities Commission embarking on the revision of six sets of rules. “It is an exciting time,” said Will Toor, executive director of the Colorado Energy Office. “The political leadership, the economics and the […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: 10 things Colorado lawmakers should prioritize to be forward thinking on fracking
Colorado is poised to build a globally competitive clean energy economy that protects our quality of life and magnificent open spaces. Newly seated Gov. Jared Polis ran on a platform committing to an equitable transition to a clean energy economy. A booming oil and gas industry once largely confined to rural Weld County on the […]
Posted inEnvironment, Opinion, Opinion Columns
EPA regional chief Doug Benevento: Trust-but-verify technique proves Rocky Flats is ready for the public
Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge earlier this month opened to hundreds of visitors who came to enjoy the spectacular scenery, wildlife, and recreational opportunities the site offers. The transformation of this property is a marvel and an achievement to be celebrated. The refuge is located on lands that once surrounded the Rocky Flats industrial plant, […]
Posted inColoradans, Environment, Health, News, Politics and Government
Rural southeast Colorado loved its landfills. After a health department deal, some will finally close
Over the past few years, as the state health department told small landfill operators in southeast Colorado that it would be more closely enforcing environmental regulations — probably pushing some of them toward closure — locals pushed back with a familiar refrain: Urban rulemakers didn’t understand rural communities and burdened them with unfair expectations. “I […]