The federal Clean Water Act requires that stormwater discharges from certain types of facilities be authorized under stormwater discharge permits. The goal of the stormwater permits program is to reduce the amount of pollutants entering streams, lakes and rivers as a result of runoff from residential, commercial and industrial areas. The original 1990 regulation covered municipal (i.e., publicly-owned) storm sewer systems for municipalities over 100,000 population. The regulation was expanded in 1999 to include smaller municipalities as well. This expansion of the program is referred to as Phase II.
Air quality discussions address the emissions of pollutants from transportation systems which can be harmful to human beings, the natural environment, and the integrity of man-made materials. The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) conducts air quality evaluations for its projects. The CDOT Environmental Programs Branch (EPB) or Regional Air Quality Specialist evaluates the potential for air quality impacts from a proposed transportation project and then determines if coordination with the Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment Air Pollution Control Division.
The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission is directed to use a risk-based strategy to inspect oil and gas facilities. The Commissions risk-based strategy prioritizes the phases of oil and gas operations that are most likely to experience spills, excess emissions, and other types of violations for inspections. The purposes of a risk-based inspection strategy are to protect public health, minimize environmental contamination, detect spills before they worsen, and strengthen the publics trust in the State of Colorados oversight of the oil and gas industry.
The purpose of this project is to identify a method to cost-effectively utilize manure and other abundant agricultural wastes to produce useful energy. A fuel made from this resource has the potential to reduce farmers' waste disposal and energy expenses, mitigate negative environmental impacts caused by excessive and inappropriately stored manure, and improve the economic viability of farm operations. This research project designed, produced and tested several samples of "straw-pooh" fuel briquettes that could be co-fired with coal in utility-scale power plants, burned on site to produce heat and power for agricultural operations, or used in a medium-scale application, such as district heating (to provide heat to one or more large buildings or structures).
