Environment — Colorado Senate Democrats

ENVIRONMENT & NATURAL RESOURCES

Colorado’s natural resources are unmatched. From legislation to protect wildlife, plants and pollinators, to cracking down on forever chemicals, Democrats passed a number of policies to better protect Colorado’s environment and natural resources.

Safe Crossings For Colorado Wildlife And Motorists | SB22-151

Danielson & Story / McCluskie & Will

Law enforcement officials report an average of 4,000 wildlife-vehicle collisions annually in Colorado, though the number may be closer to 14,100 each year when estimating unrecorded collisions. This bill creates the Colorado Wildlife Safe Passages Cash Fund for the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) to provide funding for projects that provide safe road crossings for connectivity of wildlife and that reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions. CDOT must consult with Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) and the Colorado Wildlife and Transportation Alliance concerning distribution of money from the fund. The bill also transfers $5 million to the fund from the General Fund.

Sensitive Species Data And Public Records | SB22-169

Donovan / Will & Hooton

This bill excludes information concerning the location of animals or sensitive plant species and habitat from requests for information under the Colorado Open Records Act. This functions to maintain the availability of sensitive wildlife data for researchers and state departments, while simultaneously prohibiting the abuse of Colorado sunshine laws by bad faith hunters that are trying to take a shortcut around the fair chase doctrine.

Orphaned Oil And Gas Wells Enterprise | SB22-198

Fenberg & Scott / Weissman & Will

An “orphaned” well is an oil or gas well without a legally responsible party to conduct proper plugging and site restoration, oftentimes still emitting methane and other toxins. This bill creates the orphaned wells mitigation enterprise in the department of natural resources for the purposes of: plugging, reclaiming, and remediating orphaned wells located in the state for which no owner or operator can be found or for which the owner or operator is unwilling or unable to pay the costs of plugging and abandoning the well; ensuring that the costs associated with the plugging, reclaiming, and remediating of orphaned wells are borne by operators in the form of mitigation fees; determining the amounts of mitigation fees; and imposing and collecting mitigation fees.

Native Pollinating Insects Protection Study | SB22-199

Jaquez Lewis & Priola / Kipp & Froelich

The bill directs the Department of Natural Resources to study and develop recommendations on how to address pollinator decline and increase pollinator health in the state.

Habitat Partnership Program | HB22-1072

Will & Roberts / Donovan & Simpson

This bill modifies the Habitat Partnership Program (HPP) in Colorado Parks and Wildlife to allocate the annual budget of local habitat partnership committees and submit local budgets for approval by the CPW director. The HPP works with local communities to develop partnerships to meet game management objectives and reduce conflicts with big game species, particularly related to forage and fence issues.

Updates To State Forest Service Tree Nursery | HB22-1323

Snyder & Froelich / Rankin & Ginal

This bill requires that the Colorado State Forest Service (CSFS) upgrade and improve its seedling tree nursery to expand capacity and contribute to reforestation efforts. The bill requires physical upgrades and improvements in several areas of nursery operations, including the addition of full time professional nursery staff. The CSFS must contract with management and reforestation professionals to analyze the nursery’s capacity and knowledge investments to better address reforestation needs in response to wildfire, flood, insect, and disease events.

Perfluoroalkyl And Polyfluoroalkyl Chemicals | HB22-1345

Cutter & Bradfield / Gonzales & Lee

This bill enacts the "Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Chemicals Consumer Protection Act" to establish a regulatory scheme that prohibits the sale or distribution of certain products that contain intentionally added PFAS chemicals, forever chemicals that have been linked to such health effects as: cancer, liver damage, decreased fertility, and increased risk of asthma and thyroid disease. Beginning on 1/1/24, no one can sell or distribute any products with intentionally added PFAS chemicals in the state that fall into one of the following categories: carpets/rugs, cosmetics, fabric treatments, food packaging, juvenile products, oil & gas products, textile furnishings, and upholstered furniture. Starting on 1/1/24, a manufacturer of cookware sold in CO that contains intentionally added PFAS chemicals must include a disclosure that lists the presence of PHAS chemicals on the product label, as well as directs the consumer to a website to learn about why PFAS chemicals were intentionally added to the product.

Oil And Gas Reporting | HB22-1361

Boesenecker / Jaquez Lewis & Story

This bill is a legislatively directed performance audit for oil and gas reporting. By 1/1/23, it requires Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) to undergo rulemaking to require oil and gas operators to annually perform meter certification and calibration and submit a report detailing the results. By 2/1/25, OSA must select a random sample of operators and provide the list to the COGCC, Department of Revenue (DOR), and the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment (CDPHE). By 4/15/25, the respective departments must submit reporting information for the operators in the random sample for calendar year 2023 to the Office of the State Auditor (OSA). By 5/1/25, the OSA must begin a performance audit based on the information. By 3/1/26, the OSA must prepare a report and recommendations based on the performance audit which will be presented to the Legislative Audit Committee. The bill also establishes a maximum penalty of $1,000 per day for oil and gas operator violations related to filing of air pollution emission notices in the division.

Species Conservation Trust Fund Projects | SB22-158

Donovan / McCormick & Will

This bill authorizes $6 million in expenditures in the Department of Natural Resources for a designated list of projects to conserve native species. Projects include: Native Terrestrial Wildlife Conservation, Native Aquatic Wildlife Conservation, Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program, and the San Juan River Basin Recovery Implementation Program.

Nongame Conservation Check-off Extension | SB22-166