SENTINEL EXPRESS C O M M E R C E
VOLUME 33 32
C I T Y
50cI
SSUE 48 52 ISSUE
UESDAY ECEMBER 24, 21, 2021 TTUESDAY , ,NDOVEMBER 2020
New COVID-19 restrictions will prohibit indoor dining, personal gatherings
Colo. eyes tougher water-quality rules for South Platte, Clear Creek Advocacy groups demanded reversal of previous decision BY MICHAEL BOOTH THE COLORADO SUN
The state Water Quality Control Commission has reversed itself and agreed to consider tougher protections for urban streams, another sign of activists deploying recent environmental justice laws in safeguarding local water, land and air. The commission on Dec. 13 unanimously accepted demands in a petition from a coalition of conservation and advocacy groups that they revisit staff recommendations rejected in 2020 that would have upgraded protections for the South Platte River and Clear Creek. The upgrades rejected at a June 2020 commission meeting would have made it harder for industries and other water polluters to get effluent permits in stretches of heavily impacted urban waters that nevertheless show some signs of fish and wildlife recovery. That 2020 decision, and a comThe South Platte River is seen on Aug. 8 in north Denver. missioner’s statement that higher Colorado’s director of environprotections were reserved for “prisronmental communities,” Colorado mental health and protection, tine mountain waters,” infuriated a GreenLatinos director Ean Tafoya Shaun McGrath, invoked the justice coalition of dozens of conservation said. He called it “a huge step groups and local governments, from forward for our community,” and en- directives of House Bill 1266 passed earlier this year when recommendColorado GreenLatinos to Trout couragement to community groups ing the commissioners accept the Unlimited to Denver City Council to “use every tool available in our their 2020 decimembers. collective pursuit for environmental petition and Byrevisit Ellis Arnold sion. liberation.” wrote Gov. Jaredthe Polis A They long line of to cars outside city of Brighton’s rapid testing site at Colorado Community Media “The department has really Conservation Colorado water adahead of the Dec. 13 meeting arguRiverdale Regional Park. The site has had to close early many days in recent learned a lot about how to more vocate Josh Kuhn said the decision ing that the statewide commission weeks due to highindustrial demand.profi Adams 14-day rate As Denver metroenvironmental counties continue to properly engage confirms thattest “no positivity river is beyond was “prioritizing ts County’s inch closer to local orders justice issues andstay-at-home to ensure that and stateHealth policyDepartment. should supover the percent, safety and being was 15.9 aswell of Nov. 17, of accordingrepair, to Tri-County disproportionately impacted comport that fact. residents whoCommerce have been historically under Colorado’s system of coronavirusBrighton and City’s test positivity rates were both higher than munities are considered when we’re “Revisiting a bad decision that disproportionately affected by polrelated restrictions, the state announced 13 percent. Forty-five people in Brighton and 29industry in Commerce City our have proposing or considering rules and allowed to pollute lution.” a new level McGrath of rules thatsaid. prohibits indoor died from COVID-19 related health issues. To limit the spread of COVID-19, policies,” rivers is the right choice for our Commission staff told the advodining and personal gatherings — a said Commissioner Jennifer Bock waterways andprohibits our communities — cacy groups it was the first to time at least 15 counties moved tighter restrictions that indoor and change that applies to the majority of it was important for the group to the especially in North Denver where in their knowledge of the commispersonal gatherings. consider the “strong reaction” from residents have been harmed by sion’s history that petitioners had Denver metro area and many counties in community groups and conservapollution for too long,” Kuhn said. successfully forced such a reversal. other regions. tionists over the past year and a “We urge the commission to listen The commission staff will now set a The state’s COVID-19 dial, which half. “It is probably not fun to gohas to their own experts and improve schedule for formal reconsideration Photo by Belen Ward been in effect since September, is set back and look at these issues the again, protections for Clear Creek and the of the decision in 2022. of different of restrictions that each but I thinklevels it’s our responsibility,” South Platte River.” “This is a first for impacted envi-
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she said. The reversal is the latest in a series of moves by advocacy groups to cite recent state legislation mandating environmental justice considerations when seeking specific change. And regulators county is requiredrespond to follow that basedthey on the have studied and feel compelled by severity of a county’s local virus spread. the same legislation. The grew out of the state’s safer-atIndial November, a coalition of advohomegroups order —pushed the policy that came after cacy the Air Quality the statewide stay-at-home order this Control Commission to toughen their of annumerous EPA-required springupdate and allowed types of regional haze plan businesses to reopen. that can force cuts to industrial emissions for The state switched to color cleaner airrecently in national parks and identifiers — levels blue, yellow other wilderness sites. Stateand staff orange rather than numbered levels — to had recommended the commission stay on a pre-set schedule of polluavoid confusion. Until Nov. 17, level red tion cuts without adding a new layer meant a stay-at-home order. Now, level of haze regulations. red — the “severe risk” — is the secondBut conservation groups SEE RIVERS, P5
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