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Environmental Justice

"Environmental justice recognizes that all people have a right to breathe clean air, drink clean water, participate freely in decisions that affect their environment, live free of dangerous levels of toxic pollution, experience equal protection of environmental policies, and share the benefits of a prosperous and vibrant pollution-free economy."

- Colorado Environmental Justice Act

"Environmental justice is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. This goal will be achieved when everyone enjoys:

  • The same degree of protection from environmental health hazards, and
  • Equal access to the decision-making process to have a healthy environment in which to live, learn, and work."

- United States Environmental Protection Agency

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Environmental Justice

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A powerful new mapping tool for environmental justice

Colorado EnviroScreen is an interactive environmental justice mapping tool. Version 1.0 of Colorado EnviroScreen launched on June 28, 2022.

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Winners Announced: Community Connectors Program

Learn more here.

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You can now access the recording from the Environmental Justice Grants informational webinars here.
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Featured events

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Have a question for the Environmental Justice Program? Submit it here.
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Other ways to get involved

Mapping Tool Public Tutorial

We’ve been asking Coloradans how we can make it easier to find information about air pollution sources. We are excited about our new mapping tool and have scheduled two upcoming tutorial webinars.

Join us to learn more, ask questions, and share your thoughts! Meetings are offered via Zoom. Registration is required and interpretation is available.

Water Quality Enhanced Outreach

Check back for future events!

Suncor Water Permit

The public weighed in on the draft Suncor water quality permit during the initial, responsive, and rebuttal comment periods. 

CDPHE asked the public to weigh in on a permit that will limit pollution and place more conditions on the Suncor oil refinery. The draft permit is a more restrictive permit than Suncor had before. It will further protect Sand Creek and downstream waters for recreation, fish, agriculture, and drinking. The permit will also increase transparency about Suncor’s site operations. Finally, it will require monitoring and limits for dozens of toxic metals and chemicals, like benzene and PFAS. 

You can access the full draft permit information materials on the Suncor Water Quality Permits webpage.

The Environmental Justice Advisory Board was created by the Environmental Justice Act (House Bill 21-1266). 

Learn more about the Advisory Board

Advisory board meetings:

Please check back for upcoming meetings.

Upcoming webinars, information sessions, and key dates for the environmental justice grant program:

All questions asked during the webinars and submitted by email were posted to our public Q&A/FAQ document.

Suncor air pollution permit 

Earlier this summer, CDPHE solicited feedback from the public on the draft permit for Plants 1 and 3 at the Suncor refinery in Commerce City. The draft permit includes additional requirements to reduce pollution and protect public and environmental health, such as new monitoring, testing, recordkeeping, and reporting requirements related to air pollution. CDPHE is now reviewing the feedback it received on the permit and working to incorporate that feedback into the draft. Read the permit and related documents.

Suncor fenceline monitoring plan

Suncor is the first of the four covered facilities to submit a draft fenceline monitoring plan under House Bill 21-1189. It must commence fenceline monitoring by 1/1/2023. Suncor’s draft fenceline monitoring plan is available in English and Spanish.

We recently returned the fenceline monitoring plan to Suncor. We made changes to Suncor’s original proposal based on ideas you shared with us during the public comment period. We’ve also ensured that the plan meets legislative requirements. It’s important that we hold Suncor accountable, and we appreciate everyone in the community who was able to take time to engage with us on developing the fenceline monitoring plan.

As a reminder, Suncor must make emissions data available online in both English and Spanish  starting next year. You will also have more opportunities to get involved. We’re planning to convene at least two informational community meetings this fall, and we will share details on them once we schedule them.

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Meetings and engagement

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If you want to stay up to date about environmental justice events and other important updates, use our online sign-up to receive email notifications.

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