Gov. Jared Polis signed three new Democratic-backed laws Thursday that his office said would take on “corporate polluters,” give the public more warning when toxic chemicals are released and improve energy use in new polluters.

House 1143 increases criminal penalties for those found to have fouled Colorado’s water, giving local and state prosecutors more authority to pursue charges. The bill also increases daily civil penalties on air and water quality violatiors.

“By increasing the consequences for polluters, today we took an important step towards ensuring corporate accountability and protecting our environment,” Rep. Dominique Jackson of Aurora said in a statement. “All Coloradans have the right to clean air and water, and this will go a long way to guarantee that the bad actors infringing on this right are held accountable.”

Rep. Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez, a cosponsor, stated, “Far too many people of color and low-income Coloradans deal with the health impacts of air and water pollution in their communities every day. This new law provides more tools to crack down on polluters and encourage them to take community health and safety more seriously. There is no excuse for polluting the air our communities breathe and the water our children drink.”

Sen. Faith Winter of Westminster sponsored the bill in the upper chamber.

House Bill 1265 is expected to provide Coloradans notifications in English and Spanish if nearby industrial facilities emit toxic levels of benzene, hydrogen cyanide or hydrogen sulfide.

Rep. Adrienne Benavidez of Commerce City said the law she sponsored will “protect the rights of all Coloradans to breathe clean air and ensure they are empowered with clear information about the activities of their industrial neighbors.” 

She continued, “The often low-income, often non-English speaking communities that are directly affected by toxic emissions have a right to know when polluters release deadly chemicals into the air their children breathe. This common sense new law requires notification and will help ensure Coloradans have the information they need.”

Another House sponsor, Rep. Alex Valdez, of Denver said Coloradans in at-risk communities demanded the change.

“Notifying communities when dangerous levels of toxins have been emitted is a reasonable requirement for industry, but it will go a long way towards empowering our neighborhoods, our families, and our state with crucial information,” he said in a statement.

The bill also was sponsored by Sens. Julie Gonzales of Denver and Dominick Moreno of Commerce City.

Sen. Kevin Priola of Henderson was the bill’s only Republican vote of each of the first two bills. Priola also sponsored bipartisan legislation to make new schools more energy efficient, Senate Bill 124, with Sen. Chris Hansen, a Democrat from Denver with Republican Rep. Perry Will of New Castle and Democratic Rep. Bri Buentello of Pueblo.

 “Helping our schools become energy efficient will save school districts crucial funds and go a long way towards protecting the environment that Colorado’s children will grow up with,” Buentello, who is a teacher, said in a statement.