Since the designation of census blocks as DICs takes into account a host of environmental,
demographic, and socioeconomic factors, this process can sometimes obscure a simple fact: the
existence of a polluting industry located in or near these communities as opposed to other
communities is a primary justification for our concern about reducing the impacts of pollution on
these communities. This is what communities across Colorado have fought for and continue to fight
for regardless of the mandate prescribed by HB 21-1266.
The State is mandated to enact a rule that offers more protections to these communities than the
proposed rule, but more than that, the State has an obligation to these communities that is, as of yet,
unfulfilled. So long as the proposed rule prioritizes flexibility for operators over guaranteed
protections for these communities, that obligation will remain unfulfilled.
