Feds face another clean water lawsuit

Conservation groups say new rule has too many pollution loopholes Staff Report FRISCO — There will be yet more legal wrangling over a new federal clean water rule, as conservation groups said last week they will sue to plug some loopholes that could open the door for more pollution in wetlands and streams. At issue

Congress out of synch with voters on environmental issues

Nearly 7 in 10 voters favor strong environmental laws, yet Congress kowtows to special interests Staff Report FRISCO — If Americans voted purely on environmental issues, the country would have a very “green” Congress, according to a new poll showing that most people support the Endangered Species Act, and are more likely to vote for

GOP lawmakers want to block EPA clean water rule

Huge swaths of Colorado wetlands, streams at risk of degradation By Bob Berwyn FRISCO — You may not know it as you speed down I-70 from the Eisenhower Tunnel toward Summit County, but a small stream that runs parallel the freeway, just a few hundred yards away, is the main source of drinking water for

XTO Energy to pay $5 million for fracking violations

Clean Water Act penalties, cleanup costs assessed for West Virginia operations Staff Report FRISCO — ExxonMobil subsidiary XTO Energy, Inc. will pony up about $3 million to restore eight West Virginia sites where the company illegally filled wetlands and polluted the water during fracking operations. The company will also pay a civil penalty of $2.3

Environment: EPA to tackle ocean plastic pollution

Guidance to create framework for local regulations By Summit Voice FRISCO — After decades of neglect, the issue of plastic debris polluting the oceans is finally showing up on the EPA radar screen. Even though the agency recently declined to address plastic pollution under the Clean Water Act, it will step up efforts to monitor

Climate: Can a lawsuit stop ocean acidification?

Conservation group eyes Clean Water Act as tool in climate fight By Summit Voice FRISCO — It’s not clear if anything — besides massive cuts in carbon dioxide emissions — can stop the acidification of oceans, but the Center for Biological Diversity would at least like to see the EPA try to water quality standards

Colorado lawmakers aim to create a good samaritan program under the Clean Water Act for abandoned mine cleanups

Bipartisan push could speed remediation projects By Summit Voice FRISCO — A few months after the EPA unveiled new regulatory guidance for abandoned mine remediation, a bipartisan pair of Colorado lawmakers launched a new push to speed cleanups. The new law proposed by Senator Mark Udall and Congressman Scott Tipton would give Good Samaritan groups

Environment: New Florida water quality plan flawed

Measures don’t meet Clean Water Act requirements By Summit Voice SUMMIT COUNTY — Watchdog grous are characterizing a proposed Florida water quality plan as a give-away to polluting industries, creating even more loopholes to spew sewage, manure, and fertilizer into Florida waters, according to watchdog groups who sued the state and federal government in 2008

U.S. Rep. Jared Polis co-sponsors bills to regulate fracking

BREATHE and FRESHER acts would close significant clean air and water loopholes By Summit Voice FRISCO — Saying that the rapid expansion of fracking in Colorado has outpaced the ability of state regulators to monitor health and environmental impacts, U.S. Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO.) is calling for federal legislation to protect the safety and the

Environment: EPA guidance to aid abandoned mine cleanups

Good Samaritan groups to get better protection from Clean Water Act liability By Bob Berwyn FRISCO — New guidance from top EPA officials could speed remediation of abandoned Colorado mine sites by clarifying the terms of cleanup agreements between the federal agency and Good Samaritan groups. The memo from EPA national headquarters to the agency’s