In December 2019, the Colorado Air Quality Control Commission (AQCC) unanimously approved rules and rule amendments to reduce ozone and climate pollution from oil and gas operations in Colorado.

A handful of Colorado counties, including the Weld County Board of County Commissioners (Weld County) and a group of counties led by the Garfield County Board of County Commissioners (collectively, “Garfield County”) subsequently filed lawsuits in Denver District Court seeking to invalidate certain aspects of the rules.  On July 29, 2020, the Court dismissed Weld County’s lawsuit, finding that Weld County failed to show it would be harmed by the rules and lacked legal standing to challenge the rules.  On August 18, 2020, the Court dismissed Garfield County’s lawsuit on the same grounds.

Kaplan Kirsch & Rockwell represents Environmental Defense Fund and Healthy Air & Water Colorado as intervenors in Weld County’s and Garfield County’s lawsuits to defend the cost-effective and common sense air quality protections adopted by the AQCC.

For press coverage please see the links below:
Environmental Defense Fund
The Colorado Sun
Greeley Tribune
The Denver Post
The Colorado Sun
U.S. News