The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment launched an updated map that overlays geography, health conditions and starts to gauge what parts of Colorado are most affected by pollution and environmental factors.
CDPHE worked with Colorado State University and the Colorado School of Public Health to refine EnviroScreen 2.0. If certain areas score above the 80th percentile, it is particularly concerning. The idea is the map can help focus on long-standing environmental challenges.
“You kind of see Denver and Colorado Springs, Pueblo and Greeley, are the areas where we have scores above the 80th percentile, which are the highest scores for that kind of disproportional impact,” CDPHE's Chief Medical Officer Ned Calonge said.
In a release, David Rojas with CSU said:
“The new Colorado EnviroScreen marks a powerful step forward in our shared journey toward environmental justice, empowering communities and decision-makers to build a healthier, more equitable Colorado.”
Part of the map is meant to help hold pollution sources accountable. It can influence permitting. Calonge also said permits can be pulled if a company doesn’t follow through on changes.
In an e-mail, CDPHE said several new permitting requirements include:
- Source-specific air monitoring requirements for facilities in cumulatively impacted communities; applicable to air permit applications received on or after July. 15, 2024. The division is still reviewing permit applications from that date and has not yet encountered a permit application triggering this requirement. The division may require facilities or companies to do modeling if they operate in certain types of disproportionately impacted communities or their emission rates. Modeling involves using computer systems to estimate air pollution levels in different scenarios.
- Air monitoring fees for socioeconomically vulnerable communities; applicable to permit applications received on or after Oct. 15, 2024. The division is still processing these permits and setting up a new online payment system for facilities with this requirement. The division has not yet received a payment for this fee to date and anticipates it will start receiving fees later in 2025.
- Reasonably Available Control Technology (RACT) requirements in cumulatively impacted communities; applicable to permit applications received on or after Jan. 1, 2024. The division is still reviewing permit applications from that date and does not have a case yet in which RACT requirements applied to a facility solely because of its EnviroScreen score.
It can also help communities understand health issues better and what kinds of grants and programs would be most useful.
“Let’s say you're concerned about asthma or diabetes or cancer,” Calonge said. “There are layers that have those rate like diabetes rates or heart disease rates or asthma rates that are embedded, and so you can kind of get an idea at a very granular level how those health diseases are kind of impact your overall community.”
You can find that map right now by searching CDPHE Enviroscreen 2.0. Click here.
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