RELEASE: Fenberg Unveils Critical Air Quality Legislation

DENVER – Today Majority Leader Steve Fenberg introduced the “Clean Up Colorado’s Air Act,” a bill to improve Colorado’s air quality through the implementation of a sophisticated air monitoring network, better cooperation with the science community, and increased resources for enforcement and response to toxin-related public health concerns.

“Colorado’s air quality division is woefully under-resourced and hasn’t kept up with the severity of Colorado’s air quality problem,” said Majority Leader Steve Fenberg. “SB-204 will ensure CDPHE is using state-of-the-art technology and collaborating with atmospheric & public health experts to reduce air pollution from oil and gas development and other sources of emissions in Colorado.”

The EPA recently reclassified the air quality in Denver and eight other northern Colorado counties from “moderate” to “serious” nonattainment in late 2019, and EPA data from 2018 has shown metro Denver’s air quality to place in the bottom 10 ranking when compared with other large U.S. cities. Studies also found that 3 million residents in the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood area endure bad air conditions for 35% of the year.

"Coloradans are breathing in bad air and we need access to the best research and science to be able to take aggressive action,” Senator Fenberg continued. “This bill will enhance the state’s ability to collaborate with the experts as well as better address Colorado’s poor air quality and the public health issues associated with it.”

The “Clean Up Colorado’s Air Act” does the following:

• Establishes a new fee on pollution sources such as oil and gas operators that is dedicated to funding advanced research and science related to air quality in Colorado. The research will be directed and administered by a new board that includes atmospheric scientists and public health experts.

• Increases existing permit fees on stationary emitting sources and dedicates the additional funds to cover increased enforcement and inspections, better air monitoring, additional air toxicologists at CDPHE, as well as improved toxin detection through the use of “sniffer vans” and other technologies.

• Prioritizes the use of aerial surveys and the installation of a real-time air monitoring network in order to more accurately measure and study concentrations and trends of volatile organic compounds, ground-level ozone, methane, and particulates in Colorado’s air.

• Deploys more resources to find and fix leaks and to more quickly respond to health risks associated with air toxin exposure. 

The bill will now be heard in the Senate Transportation & Energy Committee. Read more here.