We’re back in your inbox this Sunday with another roundup of some of the best and most important journalism produced by The Denver Post this past week, beginning with the story we’ve chosen to lead your Sunday newspaper.
This week, the Post’s veteran environmental reporter Bruce Finley takes a closer look at a vital health issue that was not directly addressed in the landmark oil and gas legislation that is awaiting Gov. Jared Polis’ signature: toxic emissions by drilling and fracking operations around the state.
As Bruce’s story reveals, Colorado public health officials have been using a 27-year-old exemption in state law to allow oil and gas companies’ operations to pollute for 90 days without federally required permits that set limits on emissions. U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette is calling for an end to the practice, and the state has pledged to look into whether this exemption violates the federal Clean Air Act.
This all comes as Polis has signaled in recent weeks that he may be taking a more aggressive approach than his predecessor toward improving Colorado’s worsening air. Will the new administration move to end the exemption that has allowed nearly 200 current oil and gas sites to begin operation without any permit limiting their emissions? It’s a big question, and it’s why we delved into the issue this week.
— , Enterprise Editor for The Denver Post
Five of The Denver Post’s best stories this week
Colorado lets oil and gas companies pollute for 90 days without federally required permits that limit emissions
A 27-year-old state exemption allows oil and gas companies 90 days before requiring a permit that limits emissions. The loophole allows pollution during the time when sites emit the most extreme chemicals. 200 industrial sites across the state emit hundreds of tons of volatile organic chemicals, cancer-causing benzene and other pollutants that go unlimited during the first 90 days of operation. Read more from Bruce Finley.
Ken Buck completes Colorado GOP’s shift to the party of Trump
The party Ken Buck spoke to last weekend — the one that elected him chairman of the Colorado Republican Party — wears more red “Make America Great Again” hats these days. Embittered and embattled by what they see as Democratic overreach at the state level and democratic socialism at the federal level, they’re ready to fight for, with and alongside Donald J. Trump. Read more from Justin Wingerter.
Coors Field’s iconic “Evolution of the Ball” sculpture is gone — but not forever
Millions of Rockies fans have passed under the “Evolution of the Ball” sculpture at Coors Field. But as Rockies hosted their home opener on Friday, fans may have noticed the iconic sculpture missing. That’s because the art piece was taken down in the midst of the massive West Lot project, but it won’t be in a storage locker forever. Fans can expect to see it return in a new location soon. Read more from Kyle Newman.
“The hardest part is fighting to live”: Brighton High School student sues district after alleged sexual assault by classmate
When a Brighton High School student finally built up the courage to tell a school counselor she was raped a couple of weeks after it happened, she said she was met with a warning: Be careful, because what you say could ruin another studentap life. She wondered, what about her life? Read more from Saja Hindi.
Colorado’s epic snowfall helps ease drought conditions, but state not out of the woods
Colorado has suffered from drought that has parched much of the state, hitting the Four Corners area especially hard, since late 2017. While the snowfall that pounded Colorado’s mountains in recent weekshas helped break the near-term drought, water experts aren’t declaring an end to the troubling long-term trend of low water levels as the state’s climate shifts to greater aridity. Read more from Jackson Barnett.
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Quick Hits
+ Denver company avoids Colorado ban on publicly traded pot companies
+ For Lone Tree’s RidgeGate neighborhood the future is now and itap arriving by train
+ Denver mayor says legal immigrants are being denied citizenship due to work in marijuana industry
+ Adams 14 management at stalemate as deadline for state-ordered school-board takeover approaches
+ A noisy start to quiet zones on the A-Line has Denver neighbors fuming
+ 8 ways Colorado lawmakers want to make health care cheaper
