2016 Colorado Legislative Conservation Scorecard

Description: After serious water quality issues went ignored for months, the state of Colorado imposed a significant fine on the town of Burlington in northeast Colorado. This fine was designed to trigger action and accountability to protect the drinking water of the community; however, local complaints about the fine rose all the way to the Capitol. This bill proposed curbing the state’s authority to impose this kind of fine, even though fiscal penalties are often the only tool to prompt clean up by industry or communities that are not prioritizing public health.