REGULATORS

general counsel and expensive private attorneys, and the established environmental nonpro ts have their sta and contract attorneys, Sassman said. Community members who may live right next to the industrial plants, meanwhile, are facing “complex and jargony” issues, in their spare time.

“ at’s where somebody like us could come in and help,” Sassman said.

State o cials say they are prepared to handle the results from their e orts at balance, and know full well they are handing the community a list of

You lives miserable.

“No one’s ever too happy with us” anyway, McDonell said. “But in all seriousness, I think the priority here is to get the voices to the table to have a normal conversation because historically, again, it’s those well-funded groups that have been part of the conversation. We don’t have any control or expectation about them being supportive of us or the proposal. We know they’re going to challenge us and we want that, we welcome that.” Lehman and the advisory council already have some buzzwords in the rule drafts for which they are seeking more legal explanations.

Carbon capture, for example, bothers Lehman to no end. She fears state regulators may allow the industrial polluters to keep spewing damaging air into neighborhoods but then oset it through buying carbon credits or stu ng the carbon underground in long-term storage, an ethically controversial tradeo .

Community groups also want tough enforcement language written into the rules, Lehman said. If she gets too many speeding tickets, her driver’s license is taken away, she said. But companies like Suncor have years of multiple air violations and never lose their permits.

“It is a dual system of justice,” Lehman said. “Big polluters continue to do what they want, and our government doesn’t have the courage to just say we are in the business of protect- ing our citizens and you have to shut down. How is that so hard?” e air pollution division knows the lawyers on their pro bono list will bring those arguments, and more, to the industrial pollution rules, and other upcoming policy battles.

“We absolutely have a deep commitment to environmental justice,” McDonell said. “But we can only say that so many times.” is story is from e Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned news outlet based in Denver and covering the state. For more, and to support e Colorado Sun, visit coloradosun.com. e Colorado Sun is a partner in the Colorado News Conservancy, owner of Colorado Community Media.