Senate GOP calls for review of “regional haze” plan

Tuesday, Senate Republicans sent a letter to Senate President Shaffer asking Legislative Council to hold a public hearing to review the changes made to the State Implementation Plan (SIP) for implementing regulations for “regional haze.” The SIP was approved by the Colorado Air Quality Control Commission based largely on the emission reduction plan prepared by the Public Service Company as a part of House Bill 10-1365.

“We think it’s important that Legislative Council hold a public hearing on this effort to give the General Assembly and public more time to consider the impact this plan will have on Colorado,” said Senator Scott Renfroe, R-Greeley.

“Serious questions and concerns have risen about the timing of the information and the data used in the plan,” concluded Renfroe.

The text of the letter is below:

Dear Senator Shaffer:

Pursuant to the provisions of §25-7-133 C.R.S., we hereby request that the Legislative Council hold a hearing to review recent changes to the State Implementation Plan (SIP) which were submitted on January 14, 2011. The Colorado Air Quality Control Commission approved the SIP based largely on the emission reduction plan prepared by the Public Service Company as a part of HB 10-1365.

We have serious concerns about the extent to which the State Implementation Plan meets the emission reduction standards set out in HB 10-1365. The abbreviated timeline for analysis and review of the Public Service Company’s emission reduction plan, particularly in light of significant last-minute changes to the plan, lead us to believe that further review of the SIP is necessary.

For that reason we request that the Legislative Council hold a public hearing on the SIP to give the General Assembly and the public more time to thoroughly review this momentous plan and its impact on Colorado.