Colorado’s air regulators are gearing up to make polluters pay a lot more for the privilege of emitting into the Front Range sky. The state is proposing higher fees for air pollution permits and annual emissions reports, a move that could hit everyone from industrial plants to small shops with spray guns. State estimates circulating with the draft suggest the changes could raise roughly $13.5 million to $14 million and push some charges up by as much as two-thirds over two years. Officials say the money is meant to bankroll expanded review, monitoring, and enforcement tied to new toxic air tracking and environmental justice rules.
As reported by the Denver Gazette, the Air Pollution Control Division’s draft updates to Colorado’s Regulations 3 and 7 would raise fees for annual pollution reports, permit processing, and yearly emissions invoicing, while trimming some duplicate paperwork. The Gazette notes that the package is projected to bring in about $13.5 to $14 million, and that state budget documents estimate fee increases in the neighborhood of 65 to 70 percent over two years. Proposal documents are posted in the Air Quality Control Commission’s hearing folder for anyone who wants to dig into the fine print.
Why Regulators Want More Cash
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment says those extra dollars are needed to cover the staff time and technical work it takes to process permits, review emissions reports, and enforce clean air standards, according to the agency’s guidance. The division’s public materials explain that fees are set to recover both direct and indirect costs tied to permit processing, compliance monitoring, and enforcement. Agency pages also spell out recent fee changes, including higher Air Pollutant Emission Notice filing charges and hourly billing rates that took effect in 2025, which the division points to as context for the latest proposal.
Toxic Tracking And New Rules Are Reshaping Permits
In 2022, lawmakers ordered the state to step up how it identifies, monitors, and reports certain toxic air contaminants. That law requires annual toxic emissions reports and a schedule for creating new health-based benchmarks. The Colorado General Assembly’s page for House Bill 22‑1244, available on the Colorado General Assembly website, lays out requirements for priority toxic pollutants such as benzene and formaldehyde and directs the Air Quality Control Commission to adopt related permitting and control rules. Regulators say those statutory marching orders are a big reason they now need more technical review capacity and the funding to match.
Environmental Justice Rules Could Add Steps And Costs
Updates to Regulation Number 3 now require most new or modified permit applicants to submit an Environmental Justice Summary before filing. That requirement has been in effect since July 15, 2023, and is meant to flag facilities located in disproportionately impacted communities. The summary, generated with tools such as Colorado EnviroScreen, can trigger extra modeling, added monitoring, or more robust pollution controls for sources in those communities. All that extra analysis increases the division’s review workload, and the agency says that is a key reason the new fee package is designed to expand revenue for permitting and monitoring programs.
Who Will Feel The Pinch And How To Weigh In
Small businesses that use equipment such as spray guns or solvents and cross-state emissions thresholds are among those that regularly file annual reports and could see invoices rise, according to the Denver Gazette. The Air Quality Control Commission has set a rulemaking hearing for May 20 to 22, and the division has posted proposal materials in the commission’s hearing folder on Google Drive. Written comments can be emailed to [email protected] with the subject line “Air emissions reporting and fees Public Comment,” and members of the public may register to deliver oral remarks during the hybrid hearing.
