Saying Colorado’s air quality is improving, Gov. Bill Owens on Monday vetoed a bill giving the state air-quality commission the power to adopt air-quality standards tougher than federal pollution rules.
Owens said House Bill 1309 would also hurt some businesses if Colorado adopted air-quality regulations that weren’t uniform with federal rules.
“While House Bill 1309 contains exemptions for a few industries, such as agriculture, the fact is that most businesses would be at a competitive disadvantage in the marketplace, making it harder to attract new jobs to our state,” Owens said.
The failed bill’s supporters – environmental groups and public-health advocates – had argued that the legislation was needed to offset federal rollbacks that will weaken air-quality standards in Colorado.
Among those rollbacks are new federal rules for power plants and new limits on mercury emissions.
State Rep. Anne McGihon, a Denver Democrat and the bill’s sponsor, said Owens is ignoring scientific warnings about air pollution and siding with polluters.
“I think Coloradans know what is best for Colorado, especially when it comes to clean air,” McGihon said.
“The governor apparently can’t see the forest through the trees – perhaps because of the smog.”
For the past two summers, the nine-county Denver metro area hasn’t violated federal standards for ozone, the prime ingredient in urban smog.
Carbon monoxide levels have also plummeted since the 1970s.
Still, visibility continues to worsen at some national parks and wilderness areas in Colorado, according to the National Park Service.
State environmental regulators also expect pollution from Front Range oil and gas development to increase by a third over the next year.
Several business, farm and industry groups opposed the bill, arguing it did little to improve air quality.
The groups said the legislation would do little more than invite legal battles to determine emission guidelines.
“If this bill became law, Colorado businesses would have less ability to develop sound, effective policies to purchase and install emissions equipment,” said Chuck Berry, president of the Colorado Association of Commerce and Industry.
“Overall, this was an unnecessary bill, and the governor clearly understands that,” Berry said.
Staff writer Kim McGuire can be reached at 303-820-1240 or kmcguire@denverpost.com.
