HB 24-1338 Summary

• Creates an Office of Environmental Justice in the Department of Public Health and Environment to advance environmental equity and coordinate environmental justice work across state agencies.

• Requires the Department to select contractors to develop two or more Environmental Equity and Cumulative Impact Analyses (EECIAs) for geographic areas with disproportionately impacted communities, using the Colorado EnviroScreen Tool and incorporating recommendations from the 2022 Environmental Justice Action Task Force.

• Mandates petroleum refineries to hire an air pollution control expert by January 1, 2025 to assess feasibility of refinery-specific regulations, with potential rule proposal by July 1, 2026; also requires real-time emissions data transmission to the Division starting January 1, 2025.

• Requires petroleum refineries to install and operate at least six community-based monitoring systems by December 31, 2024 measuring benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, PM2.5, hydrogen sulfide, sulfur dioxide, volatile organic compounds, temperature, humidity, wind speed, and wind direction.

• Establishes a Rapid Response Inspection Team to quickly respond to air quality complaints with priority given to disproportionately impacted communities, and appropriates $1,829,087 for 2024-25 fiscal year implementation.