U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Air quality: The EPA tentatively approves Colorado's plan to reduce brown cloud

Some things about Colorado just don't change. But while the state has been the country's leanest, meanest anti-obesity machinefor years, it's struggled with, lived under and remain concerned about the brown cloud even longer. But this morning, Governor John Hickenlooper shared news that the State Im ... More >>

Water wars: Rally asks John Hickenlooper to nix "river-killing" diversion project

​Despite concerns raised by the EPA and alarms sounded in a state report, Colorado officials are moving forward with a plan to divert more water from the Upper Colorado River to the Front Range -- which is why anglers, rafters, tourism interests and others will be rallying in protest on the we ... More >>

Water wars: Colorado River activists to rally at EPA against more diversions

In the next few weeks, federal regulators will decide whether the Upper Colorado River needs additional protections in the face of growing demands from thirsty Front Range towns. Which is why hikers, rafters, anglers, and people interested in the economic future of Grand County will be gathering out ... More >>

Encana blasts EPA report linking fracking to Wyoming water pollution

Encana WY drill rig. ​In a telephone conference with journalists this morning, officials of the Canadian energy giant Encana sharply disputed an EPA draft report that linked the company's gas drilling operations in Wyoming to contamination of residents' drinking water, calling the report badly ... More >>

Fracking: Polluted water in Wyoming could spell trouble in Colorado

Colorado oil pads.​The release of an EPA report detailing suspected groundwater contamination from gas drilling operations in Wyoming comes just as Colorado is weighing tougher restrictions and wider disclosures about the hydraulic fracturing or "fracking" process -- and may serve as Exhibit A ... More >>

Denver has struggled with ozone levels for thirty years, and the fight isn't over yet

Ozone troublemakers in north metro: Chatfield State Park, Rocky Flats, Fort Collins

​You know what ozone is up high -- but what about the stuff down on your level? If you're worried about the state's air quality, take a deep breath (today's levels are safe), and read on. "Denver has struggled with ozone levels for thirty years, and the fight isn't over yet," in this week's p ... More >>

Fracking contamination "inconceivable," says John Hickenlooper -- but EPA disagrees

​Governor John Hickenlooper has walked a taut tightrope on energy issues since taking office, pushing for more natural gas drilling in a state already leading the region in drilling starts, while at the same time nudging the industry toward greater disclosure of the chemicals used in hydraulic ... More >>

Gas-drilling oversight bill killed by the House: What's the fracking point?

Gas well pads.​A bill that sought to increase the reporting process for water-quality complaints related to oil and gas drilling in Colorado died quietly at the statehouse yesterday, with Republican lawmakers insisting that the industry's use of hydraulic fracturing fluids, or "fracking," pose ... More >>

Crocs blocked: How one wrong word cost the company $230,000

Toxic green, but no pesticide.​Crocs, the Niwot-based maker of brightly hued, comfy-ugly clown shoes, has had more than its share of PR disasters, from the hysterical reports of Crocs-shod kids getting toes nipped in escalators to the savage reviews from fashionistas to a wacky endorsement fr ... More >>

Xcel's move away from coal: One step ahead of the feds?

Xcel's coal-fired Comanche plant.​Xcel's evolving proposal to retire several aged coal-fired power plants to comply with a tough new Colorado law has been hailed as bold and innovative. But similar plans may soon be cropping up around the country as utilities face a new round of federal antipo ... More >>

Hey Denver, We're the Third-Most Sustainable Metro Area

​That's the news from Site Selection, a magazine with the corporatey mission of providing "corporate real estate strategy and area economic development."The Denver-Aurora area ranked third behind San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont (1) and and Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton metro areas as best locatio ... More >>

Kenny Be's Yard Arteology: Overland zombies emerge from underground

The study of neighbors through their lawn ornaments... click image to enlarge​ Figure 31. Overland: Spaced out fairies, hobbits and zombies Due to geography and street design, Overland is the south-central neighborhood that everyone drives through but no one ever sees. Its long history of in ... More >>

William Orr's quest for better, cheaper gas left him facing prison time

Idle Thoughts about Denver International Airport

Green Scene

Library Evacuated After Tiny Hazmat Spill

Weekend Update

Carbon Loading

Xcel’s solution to rising energy prices includes a lot of coal. Is that a bad thing?

Letters to the Editor

From the week of August 11, 2005

Room to Glow

Digging up dirt on Denver.

Best Place to Learn About Mining's (Ugly) Legacy

Idaho Springs Heritage Museum and Visitor's Center

Follow That Story

Can't You Hear the Whistle Blowing?

This Is a Job for Superfund!

Colorado's legacy of contamination spreads far and wide.

Enemy Mine

Old mines are polluting the water, but this mountain town doesn't want to get shafted by the EPA.

Board Games

When a boardmember refused to go with the flow, Metro's plan to handle Lowry wastewater got down and dirty.

A Matter of Trust

Who paid what to clean up Lowry Landfill? That's confidential.

The Lowdown on Lowry

The city thought it had settled any questions about the Lowry Landfill. The truth is a toxic shocker.

Enemy Mine

The debate over open-pit mining turns toxic.

All's Not Well

Bon Carbo residents are still fighting for their right to clean water.

Follow That Story

Going With the Flow

Glendale gets a lesson in the politics of pollution.

Mr. Clean

Superfund ombudsman Robert Martin is either a white knight -- or an EPA whitewash.

Toxic Wait

Some residents say the Rocky Mountain Arsenal still isn't clean enough to polish Commerce City's image.

Letters

The Incredible Shrinking Career

EPA scientist Brian Rimar just wanted to keep doing research, but his agency found him too toxic.

Swimming Upstream

Not in Their Backyard

Up From Underground

A Dirty Shame

The EPA blew this job -- but Colorado towns will pay the price to clean up the mess.

The Talks Heat Up

The state's global-warming forums are canceled after foes show up en masse.

Sister Sludge

Activist Adrienne Anderson stirs up the sewage board with a warning on plutonium.

And Not a Drop to Drink

Under the Covers

Coach McCartney got into bed with one of Denver's biggest polluters, but Pillow Kingdom's neighbors are proving to be a tougher sell.

This Property Is Condemned

The EPA messes with a widow over a Commerce City warehouse and winds up making its own mess.

Going to Ground

A private investigator tracks a toxic trail through Arvada.

Down in the Dump

How the people of Overland Park were forced to live next door to a radioactive "monolith"-- by the Environmental Protection Agency.

THE EPA GOES RADWHAT BETTER PLACE FOR A NEW GOVERNMENT LAB THAN A RADIOACTIVE SITE?

BARRELS OF FUN

SUNNYSIDE NEIGHBORHOOD KIDS FROLIC AMONG HAZARDOUS WASTE AT EPA CLEANUP SITE.

MELTING DOWN

TWO ROCKY FLATS WATCHDOG GROUPS BLOW UP AT EACH OTHER.