Making Decisions
Weld County's elected officials, staff, and consultants have long been engaged in discussions about climate and greenhouse gas emissions to ensure that the voice and concerns of rural Colorado are included in the decision-making process. Alongside purchasing air quality monitoring towers and collaborating with state partners to obtain accurate ozone information, the commissioners have actively participated in the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Pollution Reduction Roadmap discussions. They have offered public comments at rulemakings, testified before legislators, and funded third-party scientific studies and analyses of northern Colorado's air. By actively engaging in the legislative process, Weld County hopes its investment in the science of air quality will better inform participants and encourage common-sense solutions to this statewide problem.
Regulating air quality falls under the authority of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The Clean Air Act of 1970 mandated the EPA to develop National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) and divided the country into 247 air quality control districts. These regions are categorized as either "attainment" or "nonattainment" areas for each of the six criteria air pollutants for which the EPA has set national standards: carbon monoxide, lead, nitrogen dioxide, ground-level ozone, particulate matter, and sulfur dioxide. In September 2006, the USEPA announced revisions to the NAAQS for particle pollution, also known as particulate matter (PM). Although the EPA sets the standards, states and local governments are free to adopt stricter standards.
Despite improvements in air quality in the Denver Metro/North Front Range area, it still does not meet federal ozone standards. Consequently, Colorado is mandated to develop State Implementation Plans (SIPs) to achieve attainment for both ozone standards.
Since local agencies share responsibility for implementing the components of the SIP, it is crucial that local government officials are actively involved in the development of these plans. Since 2019, Weld County officials have been meeting with lawyers and experts to discuss air pollutants and their effects on air quality, gathering solid scientific data to contribute to policy-making discussions and ensure a commonsense approach is considered when implementing changes toward air quality goals in an economically feasible manner.
In 2021, the State of Colorado issued the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Reduction Roadmap, outlining ways to implement policies and regulations to transition Colorado to renewable energy. Weld County, along with other entities, addressed their concerns regarding the content of the plan and the potential consequences of its implementation on Colorado's economy.
In March 2023, Governor Jared Polis issued a directive to achieve a 30% reduction in NOx emissions from the oil and gas sector in the nonattainment area by 2025 and a 50% reduction by 2030. Regulatory efforts of the state’s Energy and Carbon Management Commission (ECMC)—formerly the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, housed within the Colorado Department of Natural Resources (DNR)—and CDPHE are underway, involving rulemaking and stakeholder processes to meet these targets.
As the State of Colorado develops the strategic plan that will guide future greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions and carbon sequestration goals, targets, and policies across Colorado agricultural lands with the Roadmap 2.0, it is imperative that decisions are backed by scientifically credible information.