Testify at the State Legislature
It is not news that the Front Range has serious air quality issues. This year's State Legislative session has had a number of encouraging pieces of legislation brought up for consideration. A rare opportunity is opening this week in the form of two key pieces of legislation coming before the State Senate Transportation and Energy Committee which address the problem of ground level ozone. Here is information shared by our allies at Colorado Rising and the Sierra Club on how and when to submit testimony in support of these bills. . .
SB24-165, Air Quality Improvements: This bill will target a wide range of sources for the precursors to ground level ozone that makes our air quality so problematic. It calls for comprehensive rule making and increased public transparency across relevant state agencies. This legislation will also require a pause in pre-production activities by the oil and gas industry during high ozone season, from May through September. Exemptions for facilities with all-electric equipment on site. Information on the legislation itself can be found here, and the attached fact sheet can provide talking points for your testimony.
SB24-166, Air Quality Enforcement: This bill is meant to toughen up enforcement of relevant State and Federal air quality regulations. A new category for egregiously repeating violators would be created, with much, much stiffer penalties to be imposed as opposed to the more customary slap on the wrist such as was recently imposed on Suncor. It also allows local jurisdictions to levy higher maximum fines for violations of their own rules, and allows citizens to pursue their own action against a violator if the Air Pollution Control Division fails to do so in a timely fashion. Information on this legislation can be found here, and another fact sheet has been attached as well.
SIGN UP TO TESTIFY OR SUBMIT WRITTEN COMMENT!
Public testimony will be taken by the Senate Transportation and Energy Committee on Thursday, March 20, currently scheduled from 2:00 to 5:00 PM. You must register to testify before 1:30 PM on March 20 at this link. The hearings for the two bills will follow one behind the other.
It can be a major commitment to log in to testify. However you can be sure the oil and gas industry will be pulling out all the stops to flood the zone with their own people. Written comments can be submitted at the same link and can add to the public record in favor of the legislation. But your presence in the hearings has the most impact if you can make it. The Sierra Club has provided this page to RSVP to testify, and they can keep you updated on any changes to the schedule.