On Monday, Colorado air quality regulators released the latest draft of rules intended to hold polluters across the state accountable for releasing harmful toxins into the air. Environmental activists worry that communities facing the greatest threat — where many high-polluting facilities exist — might be unduly harmed by allowances in the rules for companies to shift greenhouse gas emission reductions to other facilities they own.
Earlier this month, Gov. Jared Polis (D-CO) signed a bill into law that’s intended to decrease ozone pollution stemming from oil and gas production in Colorado and establish an interim legislative committee to investigate solutions to the poor air quality affecting parts of Colorado.
Now that Occidental Petroleum has finalized its $38 billion takeover of Anadarko, Oxy must answer whether, in addition to assets and employees, it acquired Anadarko’s stated commitment to work with state regulators to move common sense, urgently needed rules to cut methane leaks and releases from industry operations.
Colorado state Sen. Ray Scott, a Republican from Grand Junction, is well known for his “drill, baby, drill” approach to energy policy and disdain for renewables.
