WEBINAR #2 ON NoCo’s POOR AIR QUALITY, PRESENTED BY LARIMER ALLIANCE AND COLORADO RISING
After a successful and informative first webinar on the topic of severe air quality in Northern Colorado, The Larimer Alliance for Health, Safety and the Environment and Colorado Rising will host a second webinar on June 15, 2022 at 6:00 pm to answer the question, “Why is it, in a state celebrated for its clean mountain air, that counties in Northern Colorado have received a failing grade for their air quality in updated surveys from the American Lung Association?”
FROM THE ORGANIZERS:
In March, we presented the first in this ongoing series discussing air quality issues along Northern Colorado’s Front Range. In that session, experts detailed the nature of our poor air quality, with discussions of different ways of monitoring it and how it affects everyone’s health. You can view a recording of that informative session at this link.
A It’s no secret that we have serious issues with air quality in our region, as noted by both the American Lung Association and the US Environmental Protection Agency. The Larimer Alliance and Colorado Rising will once more host an online webinar on Wednesday, June 15, at 6:00 PM. We’ll highlight the nature of our poor air quality and what is being done to get a handle on it. We will feature the following speakers to address the ramifications of monitoring air quality and the advocacy for improved enforcement of relevant regulations:
Andrew Klooster: Colorado Field Advocate with Earthworks, and Certified Optical Gas Imaging Thermographer, Andrew uses industry-standard FLIR brand optical gas imaging cameras to document pollution not visible to the naked eye from oil and gas facilities. His field observations and videos of oil and gas operations in Colorado have been seen as part of testimony to state and local regulatory agencies, and have been featured recently in several news stories centered on some particularly problematic facilities.
Christiaan Van Woudenberg: As a former Trustee for the Town of Erie, Christiaan was instrumental in establishing a comprehensive air quality monitoring network in Erie to track emissions from local oil and gas sites, as well as regional air quality issues stemming from operations in the rest of Weld County. He is now focused on building an air quality monitoring application to aggregate these data and make them usable for residents across Colorado with a focus on disproportionately impacted communities.
Mike Foote: Mike served in the Colorado State Legislature for eight years, six as a State Representative, and two as a State Senator, where he was a key sponsor of Senate Bill 19-181, which altered the mission of the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. An attorney for twenty years, Mike is currently operating a public-interest law firm focused on environmental and energy issues, serving individuals, communities, and non-profits working in this complex field.
Following their presentations, our speakers will join in a panel discussion to discuss how to more effectively utilize the data for community alerts and potential enforcement action, as well as to guide future legislative initiatives to continue to meet this challenge. Included in this panel will be:
Larimer County Commissioner Jody Shadduck-McNally.
Fort Collins City Council Member Tricia Canonico.
Broomfield City Council Member Laurie Anderson
Noted atmospheric scientist Detlev Helmig
The panel and audience will have the opportunity to raise questions, propose suggested action, and follow through on existing initiatives, such as:
A petition calling for more comprehensive air quality monitoring, co-sponsored by the Larimer Alliance and Colorado Rising.
A petition to block the development of fracking sites near Centerra in Loveland, sponsored by Colorado Rising and local resident activists.
Register for this air quality webinar
At this convenient link
