With the 2025 legislative session ending in less than a week, our last “What We’re Watching” feature is a bill that aligns with one of the Colorado Chamber’s most important priorities – improving government regulatory processes.
Senate Bill 305, which cleared its final legislative hurdle this morning and is on its way to the governor, makes a series of changes to address the backlog in water quality permits at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE). Guidelines from the EPA recommend that water quality permits face no more than a 25% backlog. The CDPHE has experienced difficulty keeping up with permits, with a 75% backlog in 2023-24. Utilizing federal grand funding, the department was able to reduce the backlog to 50% and continues to work to process permits faster.
To support the department’s efforts, SB 305 it requires a report on CDPHE prioritization and inspections and directs the agency to establish time frames for permit applications. The bill also provides additional funding to the department to support continued permitting staff – without this funding, staffing levels were set to be reduced under current law.
The Colorado Chamber’s Energy & Environment Council took a support position on the legislation this week. The next step for the bill is the governor’s signature.