With the passage of HB21-1266, the State’s Industrial sector must reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 20% by the year 2030, compared to what it released in 2015. The industrial sector in Colorado includes traditional heavy and light manufacturing along with energy use by other non-manufacturing industries like oil and gas, construction, and agricultural operations. The Air Pollution Control Division (APCD) has submitted a proposal for the Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Energy Management for Manufacturing Phase 2 (or GEMM Phase 2) rulemaking to the Air Quality Control Commission (AQCC) in 2023.The GEMM Phase 2 rulemaking impacts 18 companies in Colorado, 11 of which have joined a Chamber-led coalition.
Through the work of our attorneys, the Chamber filed for party status in the rule-making on June 15. In the Chamber’s motion, we outlined several issues with the current draft Reg 27. These include, but are not limited to, providing adequate time for companies to comply, not creating overly burdensome penalties, and still allowing for companies to grow in the future.
Colorado Chamber staff is convening our coalition regularly in preparation for filing a prehearing motion and potentially submitting an alternative proposal to add to the rule, both of which are due on July 25, 2023. The APCD will soon put out an updated draft rule which we will analyze to identify remaining concerns and issues to include in our prehearing statement. The hearing is currently set for September and Meghan Dollar, SVP of Governmental Affairs and Political Operations will testify on the Chamber’s behalf.
If you should have any questions regarding this rulemaking process and the CO Chamber’s engagement on this issue, please contact Meghan Dollar at [email protected].