DENVER—A bipartisan
group of legislators, including Senate President Joan Fitz-Gerald and Speaker
of the House Andrew Romanoff, have requested a legislative hearing on proposed
changes to the state's clean air rules. The changes would affect the state's
New Source Review program, which requires industrial facilities to install modern
pollution controls when expanding operations and increasing pollution in surrounding
communities.
Republican Mark Larson and
Democrat Jim Isgar joined Fitz-Gerald and Romanoff on a letter delivered yesterday
to members of the Legislative Council Committee requesting that a hearing take
place to investigate air quality and public health implications of the rules.
"We applaud this bi-partisan
group of legislators for expressing concern over these rule changes," noted
Elizabeth-Ann Rowlison, Clean Air Advocate at Environment Colorado. "We
owe it to the people of Colorado to ensure that public health will not be harmed
by these rule changes."
A broad coalition of public
health organizations, local governments and environmental groups raised concerns
about the proposed changes when the Colorado Air Quality Control Commission
was considering them last year. The coalition believed that the rule changes
would increase air pollution in the state, which could lead to more asthma attacks
and other respiratory problems.
The New Source Review rule
changes were created by the U.S. EPA and are now in the process of being implemented
on the state level across the country. Fourteen states are challenging the rules
in Federal court, arguing that the changes are illegal. The Colorado Air Quality
Control Commission approved the changes last year and they now await approval
from the State Legislature.
