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Environmental groups sue Colorado air pollution regulators for not going far enough

Earthjustice said in the complaint the new rules only cover seven of the most common air pollutants. They are asking to add at least 29 other substances to the list.

DENVER — The Colorado Air Quality Control Commission is being sued for not creating a stringent enough rule for emissions monitoring in disproportionally impacted communities. Earthjustice, which is representing environmental groups GreenLatinos, 350 Colorado, and Earthworks, filed the suit Tuesday.

The plaintiffs allege that the rule fails to ensure that residents of communities that have “long borne a disproportionate share of adverse human and environmental effects from polluting industries” receive the protections provided by the state Environmental Justice Act (EJA) created by HB 21-1266.

“The EJ Act requires polluters to do stringent monitoring and modeling in disproportionately impacted communities. The rule as passed by the commission won’t accomplish this, making it impossible to protect communities – it’s as simple as that,” said Heidi Leathwood, climate policy analyst with 350 Colorado. “The commission must be held to account.”

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and the Air Quality Control Commission are aware of the complaint filed by Earthjustice on behalf of its clients, said Kate Malloy, interim communications unit supervisor for the Colorado Air Pollution Control Division, in a statement to The Denver Gazette. “The department will thoroughly review the claims and then decide how to respond through legal proceedings."

> Read the full article on the Denver Gazette.

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