A major Xcel Energy power project could put up new transmission lines within view of the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site, sparking concerns among tribal leaders and park advocates that it could mar the site’s cultural and aesthetic character. Dubbed Colorado’s Power Pathway, the project would string lines and construct new substations across the […]
National Parks Conservation Association
Posted inClimate, Environment, Health, News, Outdoors
Suncor must make pollution cuts to meet new haze rules protecting Colorado park views
Suncor must make deeper cuts to its sulfur dioxide emissions as part of state regulators’ revisions to federal “regional haze” rules, meant to boost visibility and restore pristine conditions at Rocky Mountain National Park, Great Sand Dunes and wilderness areas. The Air Quality Control Commission gave preliminary approval in November to a plan telling Suncor […]
Posted inBusiness, Climate, Energy, Environment, News
Drilling leases on 58,000 acres of public land in Colorado were awarded without proper environmental review
Oil and gas leases on 58,000 acres of public lands in northwest Colorado were awarded by the federal Bureau of Land Management without adequate consideration for air quality and wilderness protections, a federal district judge ruled – but she stopped short of voiding the leases. U.S. District Court Judge Marcia Krieger remanded the leases to […]
Posted inBusiness, Climate, Energy, Environment, News, Politics and Government
Order to close three Colorado coal-fired power plants early reversed, regulators cite “incomplete” information
The Colorado Air Quality Control Commission, at the urging of utility companies, did a regulatory two-step on Wednesday, rescinding the order for early closure of three coal-fired power plants that it issued last month. The November decision, made as part of the state’s plan to reduce regional haze at national parks, was based on incomplete […]
Posted inBusiness, Climate, Energy, Environment, Health, News, Politics and Government
Three coal-burning power plants in Colorado face orders to close early. Their owners aren’t happy about it.
Tri-State, Xcel and Platte River Power had the closures slated for 2030. But Colorado air quality regulators say it must be done earlier to meet greenhouse gas targets. Colorado air quality regulators on Friday moved to order three coal-fired power plants to close by the end of 2028 to cut regional haze and meet Colorado […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: Progress is slow on reducing Colorado’s air pollution, but there are signs of movement
A sparsely attended Zoom meeting does not seem the likeliest place in which major shifts in Colorado’s future take place. However, in September, that is exactly where the state adopted first-in-the-nation rules to reduce air pollution and marked a new approach in how this state confronts its air quality problems. For years, Coloradans have suffered […]
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 inBusiness, Energy, Environment, Health, News, Politics and Government
Colorado oil and gas emissions rules begin to tighten, but gaps open over what is monitored, by whom and where
Colorado is moving to tighten air emissions from a range of oil and gas activities – including hydrofracturing or fracking – with a general consensus among industry, environmental and community groups. In two days of testimony before the state’s Air Quality Control Commission there was general support for proposed rules covering fracking and drilling, internal […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: Amache presents a new national park opportunity to preserve an important part of our history
Every national park has a story to tell. We are fortunate to have 12 of these special places designated in Colorado alone. They not only protect natural landscapes and unique ecosystems but also share our history, including some of its darkest chapters. Parks have the power to represent a full and inclusive history of America, […]
Posted inEnvironment, News, Outdoors, Politics and Government
Electric-powered bikes are now allowed on BLM and National Park trails — and not everyone is happy about it
EAGLE — The cyclist climbing Boneyard zoomed up the steepest section of the singletrack trail with an effortless ease, passing a panting pedaler in a blink. Here they come. Electric bikes, propelled by both pedal and throttle, will be more common on Colorado’s Bureau of Land Management trails after an order issued by Interior Secretary […]