Colorado’s air regulators have approved a new rule that will require the state’s 18 largest manufacturers to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, but the plan is receiving pointed criticism from environmental advocates who say loopholes will allow the dirtiest companies to keep on polluting the most impacted communities.
The rule’s critics already were complaining about one potential loophole before the Colorado Air Quality Control Commission considered a draft proposal last week. That provision was approved Friday night when the commission created a system through which companies could earn credits for reducing emissions and then they could sell those credits to other manufacturers who can’t or won’t make changes.
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The Chamber of Commerce also was concerned the credit-trading system may not be viable because there would not be enough credits to go around, Benevento said. The state-managed fund is an alternative to the credit market.
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