FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 17, 2025

MEDIA CONTACT:

Annette McDermott

annette.mcdermott@sunstonestrategies.org

DENVER — In a victory for cleaner air and healthier communities, today the Colorado Air Quality Control Commission voted to move forward as planned with adoption of the state’s landfill methane rules under development by the Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment (CDPHE) this August. A coalition of local elected officials, public health, environmental justice, and climate advocates testified against delay at today’s meeting, following a letter from 30 organizations sent yesterday opposing a delay in better controlling this major source of climate and health-harming pollution.

The waste industry and its allies had mounted a last-minute campaign to delay the vote, set for August 22, despite mounting evidence that pollution from Colorado’s landfills is fueling ozone pollution, harming the health of nearby residents, and is responsible for 20% more climate-warming methane pollution than Colorado’s coal mining industry alone. According to the CDPHE, every $1 spent on improved landfill management yields $6 in public health benefits, making it one of the most cost-effective climate and health interventions under consideration.

CDPHE’s proposed landfill methane rules would update outdated and flawed standards, raising the bar for landfill management by requiring effective cover practices, earlier use of gas collection and control systems to capture unchecked methane, and the use of available technology — much of it developed and piloted right here in Colorado — to quickly detect and address methane leaks in real time. These common-sense steps would provide relief to millions of Colorado residents in the form of cleaner air and healthier communities, as toxic pollutants ride along with methane into the air.

While some rural counties have voiced concerns about compliance costs, the proposed rule includes flexibility, phased implementation, and there are clear pathways to access financing, including through Colorado’s Clean Air Program grants. Landfills across the country operated by many of the same companies opposing this rule — rural and urban alike — have already adopted similar measures successfully. With funding available and proven models to follow, now is the time for Colorado to lead on this critical issue. In March 2025, more than 40 local elected officials signed on to a letter in support of CDPHE’s proposed rules “to advance Colorado’s climate and clean air goals and protect the health of our constituents.”

Below are statements from the coalition in reaction to today’s vote:

"Today’s vote is a step in the right direction for families across Colorado who are forced to breathe toxic emissions where we live, and where our children play and go to school,” said Laurie Anderson, Colorado Field Organizer at Moms Clean Air Force. “As a mom living near a municipal landfill in the ozone nonattainment area, I see firsthand how air pollution affects our kids. Landfill methane is a dangerous climate pollutant that carries toxic, ozone-forming co-pollutants. Other states have proven that strong landfill rules work. The Air Quality Control Commission’s actions today affirm that the time to act is now—our children’s health and our climate can’t wait.”

"Today's vote marks a turning point for Colorado,” said Katherine Blauvelt, Circular Economy Director at Industrious Labs. “It builds momentum toward finally tackling the harmful, unchecked emissions from landfills that are putting communities at risk. The stakes ahead are high. Now is the time not for dragging feet, but working toward modern practices that are already proven and possible. Coloradans can’t afford more delays—it's time to get this rule right and get it done.”

"Methane from landfills doesn’t just fuel the climate crisis – it carries a hazardous mix of pollutants that worsen asthma, heart conditions, and respiratory illnesses," said Alex Boian, Executive Director of Healthy Air & Water Colorado. "These impacts fall hardest on children, older adults, and low-income communities who are already overburdened by pollution. We’re proud to see Colorado regulators continue their commitment to common-sense rules that can alleviate the harms these residents face from landfills across the state. Now it’s up to all parties  to get these rules across the finish line in August so we can raise the bar for how landfills are run across the state."

“Local governments are increasingly feeling the impacts of climate change in the form of severe heat and drought, more extreme weather events, prolonged wildfire seasons, and more,” said Liane Jollon, executive director of Western Leaders Network. “Many elected officials across the state have expressed resounding support for a strong rule because they understand cutting methane emissions from landfills – one of the largest sources of this climate pollutant – is one of the fastest, most practical, and achievable ways to address these impacts. I commend AQCC for listening to Coloradans and moving forward with protective and up-to-date rules.”

“Our past and current food waste causes dangerous air pollution and impacts our health, especially for those living near landfills that we work with. It acknowledges that destroying these emissions while we work collectively to divert both food waste and other organic materials from landfills is a necessary step in the process,” said Brian Loma, Hazardous Waste and Materials Diversion Advocate for GreenLatinos Colorado.

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