Governor Jared Polis of Colorado has issued an order to state regulators instructing them to establish new restrictions for the oil and gas business. The year 2030 is the target date for achieving a significant reduction in ozone emissions.
To reduce the quantity of nitrogen oxide that is created as a byproduct of petroleum exploration, Governor Polis has given directives to state authorities.
The governor has given the Colorado Oil and Gas Commission and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment the responsibility to carry out the governor’s wishes.
He wants the regulatory bodies to come up with new rules by the end of the next year, and he wants them to require oil and gas industry to reduce their nitrogen oxide emissions by at least 30 percent by the year 2025. He wants them to be slashed in half by the year 2020.
Lynn Granger, a representative of the American Petroleum Institute, said that the targets that the governor outlined in his letter today are “some very, very ambitious aspirations.”
Nitrogen oxides are gases that are produced when fuel is burnt at high temperatures. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) asserts that nitrogen oxides are a significant contributor to the deterioration of air quality.
In a video that was sent to the public, Colorado Governor Jared Polis said that “our study indicates that with these initiatives, we may save Coloradans half a billion dollars per year in health care expenditures,” therefore averting ailments such as heart attacks, asthma, and even premature death.
According to the governor, his directions are aimed at achieving a target that is unprecedented at the national level.
Granger is quoted as saying, “We’ve seen a lot of other pieces of legislation that call for emission reduction objectives and feel that, sure, our goalposts are changing.” Regarding the target for 2030, she does not express as much concern. She believes that the technology necessary to fulfil it will be available. Yet, they believe that keeping up with the constantly shifting goals has been difficult for the sector.
She goes on to say that reducing levels by thirty percent by the year 2025 could be difficult and might result in costs that will be passed on to customers.
When we consider implementing any kind of new rule, it will make it more expensive for businesses to operate in our state.
Granger said that as a result of Senate Bill 181, which was approved in 2019, the state of Colorado already has some of the most strict oil and gas laws in the nation, and even worldwide.
She claims that as a consequence, the oil and gas industries in Colorado has already made significant cutbacks, and that authorities should be looking at other sources of pollution in addition to the oil and gas sector.
