Committee sends emissions-transparency bill to appropriations after debate over duplication and cost

Representatives Marshall and Garcia sponsored House Bill 12-41, a transparency measure that would require owners or operators of stationary sources to post emissions records they already submit to the state on a publicly accessible website.

Marshall said the bill modernizes public access to emissions information and responds to a partial disapproval by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency of Colorado’s State Implementation Plan on the grounds that some records were available only "on request" rather than accessible to the public. "We’re just trying to bring it into the 21st century," Representative Marshall said.

Supporters — including the Colorado Municipal League and the Sierra Club — told the committee that posting emissions records improves public access and local…