Federal air quality regulators on Friday rejected Colorado’s latest haze-reduction plan, saying the state wrongly tried to force coal-fired power plants to close early as part of efforts to clear up views in national parks and wilderness areas. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ruled tha t Colorado’s 2022 plan did not properly prove the forced shutdowns followed federal law, including concerns about taking private property without fair payment. The decision prevents the state from using the federal haze program to enforce those mandatory closure dates. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment responded Friday.   “The EPA’s decision will negatively impact environmental protections for Colorado and for the majestic national parks and wilderness areas the program was designed to safeguard,” said Michael Ogletree, senior director of state air quality programs at CDPHE via email. “Colorado submitted a highly protective, innovative plan that met all state and federal requirements to reduce regional haze. EPA’s action is not based on a failure to meet regional haze requirements or visibility protections, which Colorado continues to meet. The EPA’s decision reflects a disagreement over Colorado’s inclusion of coal-fired power plant retirement dates – a provision that signals the state’s commitment to a cleaner energy future and aligns with existing state law, utility planning, and market realities.” Colorado Springs Utilities sought more time for its Nixon Unit 1 beyond 2029, citing difficulties replacing the power with renewables at reasonable cost and argued that forced retirement would cause power shortages. “The thing is we have to have base load power to supplement and work alongside a diverse portfolio of renewables,” said Travas Deal, CEO at Colorado Springs Utilities, in comments to The Denver Gazette last summer. “There is no technology currently that allows a hundred percent of all power to be renewable within the state because the technology doesn’t support it.” Colorado has been in compliance with haze improvement requirements since 2018, staying on track well before coal plant closures became part of the discussion. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin stressed the need to protect both clean air and reliable electricity supplies. “Reliable baseload energy sources are essential to powering the Great American Comeback and ensuring families have cost-effective energy,” Zeldin said in a news release. “The Trump EPA has repeatedly demonstrated that we can achieve our statutory obligations, support baseload power, and improve visibility within our national parks.” EPA Region 8 Administrator Cyrus Western reinforced the focus on everyday energy needs. “Administrator Zeldin and the Trump Administration are laser focused on ensuring Americans have an abundance of highly reliable and affordable energy,” Western said in the release. “EPA’s denial of Colorado’s SIP revision delivers this outcome in a manner that’s fully compliant with the Clean Air Act while simultaneously providing for clean air for all Americans.” The haze over Colorado Springs is smoke blowing in from massive wildfires in Wyoming, Montana and Oregon. (Courtesy of Pikes Peak Cameras via City of Colorado Springs) The haze program aims to reduce smoke-like particulate pollution that creates vista-blocking haze from power plants and other sources in places like Rocky Mountain National Park. Colorado’s plan included shutting down several coal units by 2029 to cut nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, and soot. State officials said the closures would continue anyway under state laws pushing for cleaner energy. “Regardless of EPA’s decision, Colorado will continue to lead,” Ogletree said. “Coal plant retirement dates remain in state regulation, and many facilities have already closed or are on track to retire voluntarily because cleaner energy is more affordable and makes economic sense for consumers. Colorado has demonstrated that it is possible to protect public health, reduce pollution, and maintain a reliable energy system at the same time.” The Colorado Mining Association praised the EPA’s action, citing energy supply concerns. “Today’s decision by EPA is prudent given the state’s failure to sufficiently or reasonably consider the energy impacts of its plan to require the retirement of the coal fleet and the negative effects for grid reliability, particularly with respect to the loss of unreplaced baseload power,” said Adam Eckman, president and CEO of the Colorado Mining Association, in a statement. Grid reliability concerns nationwide have prompted the Department of Energy to issue emergency orders under Federal Power Act Section 202(c) to keep coal plants operational and prevent potential shortages. In Colorado, the department ordered Craig Station Unit 1 to remain available through March 30, 2026, due to forecasted regional shortfalls. Similar directives have delayed retirements elsewhere amid surging demand forecasts caused in part by burgeoning AI data center energy needs. Denver environmental attorney Paul Seby called haze rules more of a goal than a strict mandate. “There is a standalone SIP for visibility,” Seby said in an interview with The Denver Gazette. “Why is that? It’s because Congress said the aspiration to remedy impairment in a national park is a goal and not a requirement. And the majority of the impairment now is coming from forest fires, from the management of public lands or international emissions that are transported here from outside the United States that contain visibility impairing pollution (including) Africa and China.” The EPA’s disapproval comes amid ongoing debates over ozone non-attainment in the Denver Metro/North Front Range area, which has faced repeated reclassifications for the 2008 eight-hour ozone standard. A 2023 petition by the Center for Biological Diversity and 350 Colorado challenged EPA’s partial approval of Colorado’s serious attainment plan elements, arguing for stricter measures. The state now has two years to submit a revised haze plan or risk a federal version taking its place. ...read more read less