The Denver Post reports that Colorado regulators are drafting a new multimillion-dollar permitting system to crack down on five “toxic” air pollutants: benzene, formaldehyde, ethylene oxide, hexavalent chromium, and hydrogen sulfide. The Air Quality Control Commission has set health-based standards and now wants the General Assembly to authorize enforcement, with costs ranging from $3.7 million to $10.7 million annually.
And who pays for it? Not the broke legislature. Nope. Industry will pick up the tab through fees, which, of course, will roll downhill to consumers in the form of higher prices. Oil and gas producers, pipelines, utilities, and waste management outfits will be the first in the crosshairs.
The Bullet Point Brief
- Colorado regulators approved standards for five “air toxics” and now want a pricey new permit system to enforce them.
- The program could run $3.7M–$10.7M annually, requiring legislative approval despite a nearly $1B budget hole.
- Surprise! The state won’t fund it – industries will through fees, which translate to higher costs for everyday Coloradans.
- Oil and gas is the primary target, followed by pipelines, gas stations, utilities, and waste management.
- Advocates demand universal permitting: regulate every business possible, because “regulate harder” is always the answer.
My Bottom Line
Here we go again: Colorado’s bureaucrats crying “regulate harder” while taxpayers cry at the checkout line. The legislature has no money, but instead of tightening belts, they’re setting up a new program with millions in overhead and a guaranteed fee avalanche.
Make no mistake: these rules are aimed squarely at the industries that keep Colorado’s lights on and people employed. Oil and gas, utilities, pipelines – the lifeblood of our economy. The state’s answer? Choke them with paperwork until they either raise prices or pack up and leave.
Sooner or later, it gets too expensive, too laughable, and the jobs go poof. Colorado will pat itself on the back for “clean air” while families are left with pink slips and higher bills. Public health matters, sure. But when your solution is bloated regulation on industries that provide jobs, heat, and fuel, what you’re really protecting is Colorado’s reputation as a national joke.
