Colorado is Entering a New Environmental Era…Maybe

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3min 50sec
<p>Grace Hood/CPR News</p>
<p>The view from the Colorado National Golf Club includes housing developments and a drilling rig in Erie, Colorado on April 8, 2019.</p>
Photo: Drilling Erie 1 GH 20190415
The view from the Colorado National Golf Club includes housing developments and a drilling rig in Erie, Colorado on April 8, 2019.

More than a dozen new energy and environment bills are headed to Gov. Jared Polis for a signature. They cover an array of issues from the oversight of electrical generating companies to how companies have to factor climate change into their decision making to the nitty gritty of how oil and gas drilling is governed in the state.

“Given the priority we saw voters make of energy and the environment this past fall they were a really an important part of this past legislative session,” said Kelly Nordini, executive director of Conservation Colorado, an environmental nonprofit.

While momentous, the actual impacts of some policies are yet to be determined. At least two — the oil rule and greenhouse gas reduction goals will see many details decided in rulemaking by state agencies.

Agencies will release basic ideas on their plans for new regulations. Then they’ll release a draft rule for the public to weigh in on. Some environmental groups plan to put pressure on the state to hold evening sessions, so the public has a better chance to share their concerns.

The oil and gas law, for example, will require at least a half-dozen rules to be written or rewritten. That means it could take years -- not months -- to completely spell out details of measures that could have the biggest impact on curbing climate change.

“So the outcome of this session we won’t know fully for multiple years to come,” said Scott Prestidge, communications director for the Colorado Oil and Gas Association.

Here’s a list of the key energy and environment bills: