The EPA is using the Civil Rights Act to probe whether Colorado’s regulation of major polluters, like Suncor, discriminates against minority residents
KC Becker
Posted inClimate, Energy, Environment, News
EPA fines Weld County gas processor $3.25 million for leaks
A Colorado natural gas processor will pay a $3.25 million fine in a settlement with federal and state air pollution officials, after allegations the company failed to detect and repair leaks that contributed to worsening ozone problems on the northern Front Range. DCP Operating Company LP and five related subsidiaries will pay the fines and […]
Posted inBusiness, Climate, Energy, Environment, Equity, Health, News
Colorado’s legislative efforts are not enough to solve its Front Range ozone problem
By Jim Robbins, KHN A year after health officials issued a record number of alerts for high ozone levels on Colorado’s Front Range, federal and state officials are trying to rein in the gas that can make outdoor activities a health risk. But new Colorado laws aimed at improving air quality along that urban corridor east […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Carman: Suncor’s days of beguiling regulators and befouling our air at last may be numbered
There’s a new sheriff in town and, unlike the friendly folks at the Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment, she’s not here just to make nice with environmental outlaws. When former Colorado House Speaker KC Becker was named administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Region 8 office last fall, she promised to further […]
Posted inEnvironment, Health, News, Politics and Government
KC Becker, former Colorado House speaker, appointed to lead regional EPA office
KC Becker, the former speaker of the Colorado House, has been appointed by President Joe Biden to serve as the regional head of the Environmental Protection Agency, the White House announced Thursday. Becker will be the Region 8 administrator, a position based in Denver. “With her background on critical climate change and environmental justice issues, […]
Posted inBusiness, Climate, Energy, Environment, News, Politics and Government
Colorado gave local governments more power to regulate oil and gas. And some are using it.
Empowered by a new state law and regulations, towns, cities and counties across the Front Range are flexing their muscle and moving to regulate oil and gas operations that come to town. Two years ago this month, sweeping legislation was signed into law reorienting Colorado’s approach to regulating oil and gas development. That in turn […]
Posted inBusiness, Health, Politics and Government
Colorado lawmakers reconvene to consider stimulus plan, but experts question the cost to the state
The unemployment checks for Englewood resident Dana John and her husband ended in July, and the $1,200 federal stimulus money is long gone. One small hope on the horizon is the $375 check Colorado is sending as a stimulus to lower-income unemployed workers. It’s not much, but John said it’s much needed. “I don’t know […]
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, News, Politics and Government
Democratic lawmakers, officials from oil and gas- dependent areas of Colorado clash on first day of rulemaking
The legislators who wrote a law overhauling the state’s oil and gas rules clashed with Western Slope local officials who will have to deal with the changes at a Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation hearing Monday. The hearing, held on Zoom, was the first day of a six-week review of proposed rules to reorient the […]
Posted inBusiness, Energy, Environment, Health, News, Politics and Government
Oil and gas does about-face as six-week overhaul of Colorado drilling regulations begins
The battle lines are drawn and the forces – from high-priced lawyers to homeowners cheek and jowl with drilling rigs – arrayed for marathon hearings, starting Monday, aimed at reorienting Colorado’s oil and gas commission from promoting development to protecting public health and the environment. Through a set of proposed rules, the operation of the […]