EMISSIONS

year, Colorado Democrats proposed SB-181, which gave local governments far larger role in the permitting process and redirected state oil and gas regulators to protect health and safety.

Gov. Polis signed the bill despite the opposition campaign.

Under the current system, a company planning to drill new wells must obtain a construction permit from the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. e panel approved 4,663 new well permits between 2019 and 2022, which means the state has continued to greenlight drilling under the process reformed by SB-181.

A company works on a parallel track to obtain an air quality permit from the Colorado Air Pollution Control Division. Federal law requires those regulators to run computer models to determine the potential impact on local air quality.

Colorado has landed in hot water for failing to complete those model- ing e orts in the past. In a report last year, the EPA con rmed claims from whistleblowers who said the division had issued permits without a proper evaluation.

Rep. Bacon said her legislation would clarify that the state must complete those estimates. In addition, it would consolidate the process to attain a drilling permit and an air quality permit. By forcing more coordination between regulators, she added, many companies could nd new “e ciencies.”

Bacon nevertheless said the state must also nd a way to account for smaller sources of air pollution, which combine to create “cumulative impacts” that put the health of Colorado residents at risk.

“We will have to put our foot down and say what is contributing to our poor air quality,” Bacon said. “It is our lack of accounting from what’s happening from these minor sources.” is story is from CPR News, a nonpro t news source. Used by permission. For more, and to support Colorado Public Radio, visit cpr.org.