The Home Front: Denver and Fort Collins are among the worst cities in the US for Ozone pollution

“Ozone pollution has improved in Denver and Fort Collins, but both cities remain among the 15 worst in the nation, the American Lung Association said,” reports The Greeley Tribune. “Denver had the 11th-worst ozone levels and Fort Collins had the 15th-worst, the association said in its 2017 clean air report released Tuesday. The report, which ranked the 25 most polluted and 25 least polluted cities in the country, did not mention Greeley. The report gave Weld County an F for the number of high ozone days, making Weld one of 10 Colorado counties on the Front Range or in nearby foothills to earn a D or an F.”

“Lawmakers at the state Capitol on Wednesday moved forward a bill that could rein in the influence of oil and gas companies’ “forced pooling” procedure,” reports The Longmont Times-Call. “The vote, which passed 8-5 after several hours of testimony and last-minute amendments to move it to the Senate Appropriations Committee, came despite resistance from lobbyists and industry officials on the floor of the House Transportation and Energy Committee. Many said that the measure’s potential impact could slow down business and make the Colorado oil and gas industry less competitive.”

“A March Colorado Court of Appeals ruling will have a tremendous impact on oil and gas development if not overturned by the state’s high court, an attorney said Wednesday,” reports The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel. “It’s also part of a growing trend where courts are second-guessing (regulatory) agencies,” Mark Mathews, a shareholder in the law firm Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, said at the annual Energy & Environment Symposium, presented by Garfield County and Colorado Mesa University’s Unconventional Energy Center. A three-judge appeals court panel ruled 2-1 last month that the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission erred in its rationale for rejecting a rulemaking petition by youth activists. The court took issue with the agency’s longstanding position that it is mandated under state law to balance energy development and protection of public health, safety and welfare.”

“In response to a call from Sen. Doug Lamborn for the Environmental Protection Agency to withdraw its federal lawsuit against the city of Colorado Springs, the Pueblo County commissioners have drafted a letter to lawmakers against that action,” reports The Pueblo Chieftain. “On Wednesday, the commissioners agreed to send the letter to members of their federal congressional delegation.”

“Hours after Colorado Springs police cited the head of the local Republican Party for accidentally hitting and killing a friend with his car last month, prosecutors announced they were dismissing the charges,” reports The Gazette in Colorado Springs. “Trevor Dierdorff, 45, was driving in reverse on Tejon Street downtown toward a parking spot when he hit longtime Platte Floral owner Mel Tolbert, police said. Tolbert, 79, was critically injured in the March 28 crash and died April 2. Police issued a statement about 1 p.m. that Dierdorff was being cited with careless driving causing death, a misdemeanor, and failing to exercise due care, a Class A traffic infraction. Three hours later, the 4th Judicial District Attorney’s Office said the charges would be dropped.”

“Two founding members of Global Village Academy in Fort Collins tearfully told the school’s governing board Wednesday that their students won’t be returning next year,” reports The Coloradoan in Fort Collins. “Two other parents told the board they had concern about instruction and stability at the K-8 language immersion school, which placed its principal and another staff member on leave earlier this month.”

“The Colorado Court of Appeals has upheld a ruling by a local judge that there was not sufficient evidence to charge a man with kidnapping in connection with an incident in the late 1970s,” reports The Steamboat Pilot & Today. “Monty Dean Doolin was brought back to Routt County from Alaska in June 2015 after a grand jury indicted him of first-degree kidnapping, a Class 1 felony. The grand jury was investigating Doolin’s suspected role in the disappearance of Marie Blee 35 years ago. She has never been found.”

“Cañon City officials discussed raising the pay for future city council members and mayors Wednesday at a city vision committee meeting, setting the stage for a future vote on the issue,” reports The Cañon City Daily Record. “During the meeting, where all but one council member expressed support for the potential raise, officials recommended monthly paychecks of $900 for the mayor and $500 for council members. Currently, the pay rate per month is $300 for council members and $450 for the mayor. The officials also receive a $50,000 life insurance policy.”

“Two days after Boulder rejected a settlement with Xcel Energy and elected instead to press on in court with its municipalization case, the state regulators presiding over the case dealt the city a three-month setback,” reports The Boulder Daily Camera. “Amid concerns with the fact that Boulder recently made significant changes to its application to acquire certain Xcel assets in the interest of establishing a municipal electric utility, the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) on Wednesday directed Boulder to file an amended application by May 10, ahead of an eight-day trial now set to begin July 26.”

The Denver Post looks at legalized marijuana in the era of Donald Trump.

 

1 COMMENT

  1. We have too many attorneys giving off hot air and toxic energy, that’s why the air is polluted.

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