Democrats and environmental justice advocates Thursday unveiled an ambitious package of ozone-fighting bills that would “pause” oil and gas drilling in summer months, set caps on miles driven in gasoline-powered cars and increase pollution fines for “repeat offenders” like the Suncor refinery.
A bill with some similar ozone-fighting provisions was gutted in the 2023 legislative session, but advocates say an interim legislative committee since then has landed broader buy-in at the Capitol for tough ozone measures. Consent from Gov. Jared Polis’ administration is also key to any air quality bills advancing.
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The Colorado Chamber of Commerce also weighed in against the ozone-related bills and the oil and gas drilling ban. Chamber CEO Loren Furman said they were part of “an alarming influx” of proposals targeting business, and called them “job killers.”
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