Office of Environmental Justice
"Environmental justice recognizes that all people have a right to breathe clean air, drink clean water, participate freely in decisions that affect their environment, live free of dangerous levels of toxic pollution, experience equal protection of environmental policies, and share the benefits of a prosperous and vibrant pollution-free economy."
- Colorado Environmental Justice Act
"Environmental justice is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. This goal will be achieved when everyone enjoys:
- The same degree of protection from environmental health hazards, and
- Equal access to the decision-making process to have a healthy environment in which to live, learn, and work."
- United States Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Environmental Justice
A powerful new mapping tool for environmental justice
Colorado EnviroScreen is an interactive environmental justice mapping tool. Version 1.0 of Colorado EnviroScreen launched on June 28, 2022.
Supplemental Environmental Projects Dashboard is live!
We are excited to launch the new Supplemental Environmental Projects Dashboard.
The new dashboard features an interactive map that lets you explore completed Supplemental Environmental Projects throughout Colorado. You can view details including project names, locations, and the CDPHE divisions responsible for each project.
The dashboard will allow environmentally regulated organizations to discover potential Supplemental Environmental Projects opportunities and better understand the types of projects that can benefit their communities by improving the environment and public health. Learn more about some of the successful Supplemental Environmental Projects.
Explore the dashboard and learn how these projects are making a difference in Colorado communities!
For any questions, contact the Supplemental Environmental Project Coordinator, Alex Scherer, at alex.scherer@state.co.us.
You can now access the recording from the Environmental Justice Grants informational webinars here.
Have a question for the Environmental Justice Program? Submit it here.
Other ways to get involved
Mapping Tool Public Tutorial
We’ve been asking Coloradans how we can make it easier to find information about air pollution sources. We are excited about our new mapping tool and have scheduled two upcoming tutorial webinars.
Join us to learn more, ask questions, and share your thoughts! Meetings are offered via Zoom. Registration is required and interpretation is available.
Water Quality Enhanced Outreach
Check back for future events!
Suncor Water Permit
The public weighed in on the draft Suncor water quality permit during the initial, responsive, and rebuttal comment periods.
CDPHE asked the public to weigh in on a permit that will limit pollution and place more conditions on the Suncor oil refinery. The draft permit is a more restrictive permit than Suncor had before. It will further protect Sand Creek and downstream waters for recreation, fish, agriculture, and drinking. The permit will also increase transparency about Suncor’s site operations. Finally, it will require monitoring and limits for dozens of toxic metals and chemicals, like benzene and PFAS.
You can access the full draft permit information materials on the Suncor Water Quality Permits webpage.
The Environmental Justice Advisory Board was created by the Environmental Justice Act (House Bill 21-1266).
Learn more about the Advisory Board
Advisory board meetings:
The Quarter 1 and Quarter 4 meetings will be hosted virtually and divided into two shorter sessions over two days.
Quarter 1:
Friday, January 10th, 2025
Friday, January 17th, 2025
Quarter 2:
Friday, March 7th, 2025
Quarter 3:
Friday, July 11th, 2025
Quarter 4:
Friday, October 10th, 2025
Friday October 17th, 2025
The Environmental Justice Advisory Board awarded over $3 million through the third cycle of the Colorado Environmental Justice Grant Program to support projects that improve environmental health across the state. The board selected the following recipients to receive a total of $ 3,158,752, which will be distributed to the recipients for projects from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2027.
Learn more about cycle three projects and view previous cycle one and cycle two grantees on the Environmental Justice Grant Program homepage.
Volume 40 - February 2025
Meetings and engagement
If you want to stay up to date about environmental justice events and other important updates, use our online sign-up to receive email notifications.