Colorado has long been a leader in policies that limit the impacts of oil and gas methane — a climate “super pollutant.” Now we have a unique opportunity to use our experience and expand our leadership by implementing the EPA Methane Rule announced last December and published this March. States, like Colorado, have two years to propose a plan to implement EPA’s rule on existing oil and gas sources. Once implemented, the EPA Methane Rule is expected to sharply reduce emissions of methane and other harmful air pollutants — positively affecting the health of our children across the nation.

Super pollutants are short-lived and have a disproportionately strong warming effect on the climate, and methane isn’t the only one Colorado is battling. Areas in Denver and along the northern Front Range are in “severe” non-attainment for ground-level ozone, with the possibility of being downgraded to the “extreme” category if the state does not move swiftly on pollution reductions. Methane and ozone precursors are also co-pollutants, meaning actions taken to reduce one will likely reduce the other.

The good news is Colorado doesn’t need to wait to implement the EPA Methane Rule since there are multiple opportunities for early rulemaking. In fact, Colorado has an upcoming required rulemaking in February 2025 to significantly reduce ozone precursors, meaning the state can tackle sources of methane emissions alongside ozone pollution in the non-attainment area and statewide. If these rulemakings are swift, strong and transparent, Colorado will make serious progress toward cleaner air for all.

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Colorado has already demonstrated this kind of initiative with its efforts to reduce methane pollution from pneumatic controllers — devices used throughout the oil and gas industry to open and close valves that control various parameters like temperature and pressure. In the past, these devices were powered by natural gas, which released methane pollution into the atmosphere whenever a valve opened, but technological advances have made it economically feasible to retrofit these controllers with non-emitting alternatives.

The Air Pollution Control Division is currently proposing a retrofit timeline that prioritizes the ozone non-attainment area by two years; however, methane emissions from pneumatic controllers significantly affect oil-and-gas-producing regions outside the non-attainment area as well. In fact, the state’s emission inventory shows in 2023 the majority of methane emissions from pneumatic controllers originated from outside the non-attainment area. A delayed retrofit timeline for areas such as the Western Slope puts unnecessary burden on communities already struggling with the harms of oil-and-gas pollution.

The Air Quality Control Commission can, and must, adopt a final rule in next year’s February rulemaking protective of all Coloradans. This starts with the division updating its proposed rule language to reflect a rapid and uniform retrofit timeline statewide. The rule must be equitable to all communities and eliminate all natural gas-emitting pneumatic controllers from new and existing oil and gas operations with the same urgency regardless of location. Such a rulemaking would significantly reduce methane and ozone precursor emissions and reaffirm the state’s leadership by addressing a key provision of the EPA Methane Rule.

Colorado’s leadership on reducing methane pollution is commendable — and a source of international pride for our state. Recognizing that significance, Moms Clean Air Force and 21 other organizations signed a letter last month to the commission underscoring the responsibility of this leadership. Ultimately, our organizations hope the commission and division take advantage of upcoming state rulemakings to get a head start on the EPA Methane Rule state planning process — benefiting Colorado’s state and federal regulatory obligations while signaling to other states and our people Colorado is ready to pave the way on the EPA rule through continued leadership. This leadership can further improve our air quality by providing guidance to neighboring states and encouraging them to also move swiftly forward on their state plans which will reduce the out-of-state pollution that enters our state.

We, the undersigned organizations representing countless residents across Colorado, look forward to ongoing engagement and collaboration with the division as it finalizes the rule language in the next few months. The EPA deadline may be 2026, but that’s no reason to wait. The sooner we take action, the sooner we can all breathe a sigh of relief, knowing our air is clean and healthy thanks to our state’s leadership.

Laurie Anderson is a field organizer for Moms Clean Air Force and lives in Broomfield with her family.