Colorado has missed by almost a year an air pollution permit deadline for the West Elk Mine near Paonia, a major Western Slope source of volatile organic compounds, n-hexane, methane and other pollutants, according to a lawsuit filed by a coalition of environmental groups. Arch Coal-owned West Elk applied for an air pollution permit in […]
Jeremy Nichols
Posted inBusiness, Climate, Energy, Environment, News, Politics and Government
Colorado air pollution regulators are so behind that they didn’t get around to a hearing on one company’s permit for 13 years
In March 2009, a Western Slope oil company filed an application for a state air emissions permit for its wastewater treatment facility. On Thursday, state regulators got around to holding a hearing on that permit — about almost 13 years behind schedule. “We are asking for the same thing we asked for 13 years ago, […]
Posted inBusiness, Climate, Economy, Energy, Environment, News, Outdoors, Politics and Government
Biden administration says oil, gas sales damage climate — but won’t stop them on public lands in the West
By Matthew Brown, The Associated Press BILLINGS, Mont. — The Biden administration is planning to sell oil and gas leases on huge tracts of public land in the U.S. West, despite the Interior Department’s conclusion that doing so could cost society billions of dollars in climate change impacts, according to government documents. Administration officials announced […]
Posted inNews
Polis administration pushing green agenda, but isn’t objecting to coal mine royalty cuts worth millions
All six coal mines operating in Colorado last year won cuts to the royalties they paid to the federal or state government, denying treasuries millions of dollars and flouting policy claims by President Biden and Gov. Jared Polis to curb coal’s intense pollution. The Polis administration made no objection to the cuts even when the […]
Posted inBusiness, Climate, Economy, Energy, Environment, News, Politics and Government
Colorado doesn’t want to foot the bill for abandoned oil and gas wells. Here’s how it will avoid picking up the tab.
Colorado oil and gas regulators looking to avoid a rash of abandoned and unplugged oil and gas wells are proposing to increase financial guarantees by operators for each of their wells — a price tag that could add up to billions of dollars. The draft financial assurance regulations, released by the Colorado Oil and Gas […]
Posted inBusiness, Climate, Economy, Energy, Environment, News, Politics and Government
Closing all of Xcel’s coal-fired power plants will cost Colorado consumers $1.4 billion
The price tag for Xcel Energy closing all its Colorado coal-fired plants will be $1.4 billion spread over decades — a sum that will be paid exclusively by the utility’s residential and commercial customers. The closure estimates and their financing are part of the $8 billion electric resource and clean energy plan submitted last month […]
Posted inEnvironment, News
Environmental groups demand Polis remove Colorado Air Pollution Control director, call for independent investigation
A Colorado environmental coalition Thursday demanded that Gov. Jared Polis remove the director of the state Air Pollution Control Division, who is called out in a whistleblower complaint alleging the state endangers public health by unlawfully approving permits to pollute the air. The coalition also asked the state attorney general’s office to launch its own […]
Posted inBusiness, Energy, Environment, Health, News, Politics and Government
Oil and gas companies must monitor fracking emissions as Colorado adopts first-in-the-nation rules to reduce air pollution
Oil and gas companies will have to control and monitor emissions from fracking and meet tighter emission-performance standards on the electric motors used at drill sites, under some first-in-the-nation rules passed Wednesday night by Colorado air quality regulators. The new rules for the so-called pre-production phase are in addition to regulations the state’s Air Quality […]
Posted inEnergy, Environment, Health, Politics and Government, Transportation
Is Colorado leading or lagging on climate policy? It depends on which states you’re comparing us to.
States from coast to coast – faced with President Donald Trump’s insistence that climate change is “a hoax” – are taking the lead in creating climate policy and programs, and in this multifaceted exercise Colorado is either a leader or a laggard. On the one hand, the state has adopted some of the most ambitious […]
Posted inBusiness, Energy, Environment, Health, News, Politics and Government
Colorado must cut half of its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. It will lean on oil and gas to do it.
Some of the biggest cuts in Colorado’s greenhouse gas emissions will come from the electricity and transportation sectors, but hitting the state’s goal of a 26% reduction in emissions from 2005 levels in the next five years will depend on curbing oil and gas emissions, according to a state analysis. “To meet these goals, we […]